Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly agreed a loan deal with Chelsea to take Axel Disasi to north London for the remainder of the Premier League season - however, that doesn't mean a deal will be completed, with the Frenchman currently set to reject Ange Postecoglou's side.
The report by Fabrizio Romano on X (formerly Twitter) states that Tottenham have agreed a loan deal with Chelsea for Disasi's services, though there is no buy option for the Frenchman to join the club in the summer, whilst there is a loan fee included for his signature.
However, Disasi is not set to accept Spurs' bid - as he has already agreed terms with Aston Villa. And, in another twist, Chelsea do not want to negotiate with Villa, as they are competing for a place in the Champions League against Unai Emery's men in the Premier League table - leaving Disasi - who cost a reported £40million from Monaco at the start of last season - in limbo.
Tottenham had reportedly agreed terms with AC Milan for former Chelsea centre-back Fikayo Tomori, though the Englishman has rejected the north London club as he wishes to stay in Serie A - and despite a deal for Kevin Danso getting over the line on Sunday morning after Daniel Levy hijacked Wolverhampton Wanderers' bid, it's clear that Tottenham are in the market for another centre-back to bolster their ranks after being injury-hit throughout the campaign.
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have both failed to return to action as we entered February, with Archie Gray and Ben Davies - both natural full-backs - providing the rearguard action on Sunday in their 2-0 win over Brentford, a first top-flight victory in eight games. But now that Danso has arrived, it's clear that Postecoglou wants strength in numbers to continue the run of momentum from the win in west London - and that comes in the form of arrivals.
Spurs have gone within seven points of the top-half, and they will want to shorten that gap in the coming weeks if they are to qualify for some form of European football by the end of the season.