Tottenham Hotspur also explored a last-minute loan move for another forward as they close in on the signing of Everton star Iliman Ndiaye, Fabrizio Romano has told GIVEMESPORT's Market Madness podcast.
Tottenham may have added eight new players to their squad during the summer, spending nearly £400m in the process, but it has failed to make a difference on the pitch so far this season.
Spurs have lost their opening two Premier League matches without scoring a goal, conceding five in the process against Brentford and Newcastle United, who could be two of their rivals in the table this term.
New signing Omar Marmoush started against the Magpies, while Savinho missed out with a muscle fatigue issue, but he should be fit and available to face Nottingham Forest next time out.
It meant that Pedro Porro, Marmoush and Mathys Tel made up the north London outfit's front three against the Magpies, but it was an experiment that didn't work.
Now, Tottenham appear to have moved a step closer to bringing in Everton attacker Ndiaye after reaching an agreement with the Toffees, with Richarlison lined up to make a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in a separate deal.
Speaking on GMS' Market Madness Podcast on Friday, Romano revealed that if Spurs failed to land either Cody Gakpo, their top target, or Ndiaye before the deadline, they were exploring a move for a mystery loan forward.
"I'm sure there is also some sort of last-minute option for Tottenham.
From what I'm hearing, maybe a player on loan in the final days of the window in case they can't land one of these two targets [Gakpo or Ndiaye].
"So I'm sure Tottenham will give Roberto De Zerbi one more winger. About that, I'm 100% sure."
Tottenham Board Must Trust the Process
Tottenham chiefs have delivered what De Zerbi wanted this summer in terms of incoming transfers and transforming every area of the pitch, and now they must show patience.
Spurs have backed the Italian as the long-term option to turn the club's fortunes around, but they cannot afford to make a knee-jerk reaction to current performances and results, having backed him with more than £400m worth of signings, should the Ndiaye deal go through.
Pressure will no doubt build from the stands if this continues, but it was never going to be easy to merge nine summer signings together right away, with the majority of those brought in to be starters.
We are only two league games in, and De Zerbi and his team have three matches against Forest, Everton and Aston Villa before the international break to put things right.
What is clear is that the Italian needs his forward players to start firing as soon as possible, and he will hope that a front three of Savinho, Marmoush and, hopefully, Ndiaye can start delivering quickly.