Tottenham Hotspur are now pushing to agree personal terms with another potential big-money signing alongside Sandro Tonali, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Tottenham began the summer transfer window by transforming a defence that had conceded 183 goals in their previous three Premier League seasons, with deals completed for Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke.
Roberto De Zerbi is clearly targeting players with Premier League experience, and he was further boosted by Pedro Porro committing his long-term future to the north Londoners despite two tough campaigns domestically.
The Italian manager wants changes in the midfield and in attack too after successive 17th-place finishes, with the next focus looking as though it is in midfield.
Tottenham are also said to want to bring in three new attackers as they look to complete seven summer signings in total.
Sandro Tonali recently emerged as the club's top midfield target, with De Zerbi desperate to bring his Italian compatriot to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from Premier League rivals Newcastle United.
Spurs are also still in talks over a deal to sign Joao Palhinha permanently following his season-long loan spell from Bayern Munich last term, while their latest target is West Ham United's Mateus Fernandes.
Romano: Tottenham Pushing for Fernandes Agreement
Some may have thought that it would be either Tonali or Fernandes for Tottenham, but David Ornstein claims that the pursuits are deemed separate and De Zerbi wants both players in his midfield next season.
Given the duo are said to have price tags worth around a total of £185m, it would be a huge statement of intent for Tottenham to bring in both players, but the club and De Zerbi are clearly ambitious as they look to drive Spurs back up the Premier League standings.
Romano claims that Tottenham chiefs have opened talks with Jorge Mendes, the agent of the £85m-rated Fernandes, as they look to find an agreement on personal terms.
Issuing the latest update on his YouTube channel, the journalist said:
"According to my information, Tottenham are talking to the agent of the player, Jorge Mendes, and they are pushing in order to reach an agreement with the player.
"But still nothing is guaranteed, still nothing closed. So, what's going to happen is that there will be more conversations with Tottenham, more conversations with Manchester United, because don't forget that Manchester United are working very, very hard on this deal."
De Zerbi Pushing Tottenham to Sign £315,000-a-Week Star
Tottenham are looking to strengthen their frontline, with negotiations ongoing with Manchester City over a move for left-winger Savinho.
There has been no breakthrough so far this summer, 12 months after they made their first attempt to sign the Brazilian, with the north Londoners clearly considering other wide options too.
A report on Monday claims that De Zerbi is now pushing the Tottenham hierarchy to agree a deal with Manchester United to sign England superstar Marcus Rashford.
The Italian is said to be a big admirer of the forward, and while Spurs are said to be unwilling to meet his £40m release clause, De Zerbi wants the club to try and agree a lower-cost deal.