Tottenham are still hurting from the situation involving Eberechi Eze – but some good news could be on the horizon.
TBR Football understand Spurs enquired about Bilal El Khannouss after Arsenal swooped in and hijacked talks to sign the England international.
The Leicester No.11 is available for a fee of £32m.
Crystal Palace are believed to have already agreed this sum with Leicester, with El Khannouss keen to play under Oliver Glasner in SE25.
However, the deal is not done yet after Tottenham entered the race.
There has now been a fascinating development involving Bilal El Khannouss, after Leicester opted to leave the African attacker out of the squad for Saturday’s Championship clash against Charlton.
Leicester leave Bilal El Khannouss out after Tottenham submit enquiry
The Morocco international is nowhere to be seen – not even on the bench – as Leicester take on Charlton at The Valley.
El Khannouss – who Newcastle also like – is not believed to be injured.
The 21-year-old has already featured in both Championship games so far this season for Leicester.
El Khannouss has done well, providing two assists in his two Championship appearances, so it would be strange for Marti Cifuentes to drop the Moroccan from his side completely unless it was related to a potential exit.
The Spaniard was, however, unhappy with how the Tottenham target performed in the last Championship outing away at Preston, where the Foxes suffered a 2-1 defeat.
El Khannouss was withdrawn at the interval, with Cifuentes telling reporters after the final whistle: “I wasn’t very happy with Bilal’s performance. With players of this quality, I always expect a lot.
“I was not happy with the whole performance in the first half, about the whole team, so it’s not just about Bilal, but usually I’m more demanding with the best players and Bilal is a fantastic player.”
The fact El Khannouss has now been dropped completely serves to suggest Cifuentes may feel his head has been turned by interest elsewhere – although that is mere speculation on our part.
Where Bilal El Khannouss could play under Thomas Frank
If El Khannouss really is on his way to Tottenham after being left out at The Valley, he can offer Thomas Frank an exciting option in central attacking midfield.
Spurs wanted Eze to play the No.10 role after losing James Maddison to injury, and fortunately, the man born in Strombeek is a natural in that area.
El Khannouss could also provide an option out on the left for Frank, having previously scored one goal and assisting a further two in three games as a left-sided midfielder.