It's safe to say that of all the Premier League clubs, Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the most active this winter. They needed to be too, considering how life under Thomas Frank has started.
Things began this January with a move for Brazilian full-back Souza and while they have failed to complete a deal for Andy Robertson, Spurs have added further Premier League experience by welcoming Conor Gallagher to the ranks.
While Frank's men have advanced in the Champions League too, finishing inside the top eight during the league phase, Gallagher has so far been unable to generate much of an upturn in form in the league.
Perhaps a new striker would do just that. Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jhon Duran have both been linked in the last week of the transfer window.
Yet, Spurs still have a desire to bolster the backline.
Spurs make approach to sign top centre-back prospect
Even if life doesn't look too rosy under Frank, the future of the club is surely in safe hands considering some of the exciting young prospects coming through.
Souza looks like a marvellous addition at left-back and he could be joined in the forthcoming years by Luka Vuskovic, the young Croatian defender who is making waves on loan at Hamburg in Germany from Spurs.
The club's recruitment chiefs are not done there as far as signing young players are concerned, however, with reports from Spain indicating that Spurs have made an approach to sign River Plate centre-back Lautaro Rivero.
Manchester City are also in the race to sign Rivero, but at the moment, Manchester United are said to be in pole position to bring the Argentine to English football.
Boasting an enormous £87m release clause, the defender has further caught the attention of Strasbourg and Spurs, who have both enquired about Rivero's contract terms and what it could take to complete a deal.
Why Rivero could be Spurs' next Romero
Back in 2021, Spurs signed Cristian Romero for a fee of £43m from Atalanta. Since signing, he's been quite the addition, and he's never been a player very far from the headlines.
For years, Romero was criticised for being too aggressive. He was an accident waiting to happen and has picked up as many as five red cards for the club.
Yet, in recent years, the Argentine has become a real force at the back. To put it simply, there is a reason he's Frank's captain.
He's the man for the big occasion and he's come up with some vital moments, particularly in recent weeks where he scored that late equaliser against Burnley. His goal against Newcastle United in December wasn't half bad either.
While Romero will largely always be judged for his ability to defend, it's safe to say he's in the form of his life in the final third, registering three goals and an assist in his last four appearances.
While Rivero may not have the same goalscoring ability at River, scoring just two goals in his senior career, he looks like an extremely exciting defensive talent, just as Romero was and still is.
In the words of content creator Neal Gardner, he is the "next big CB prospect coming out of Argentina" and it's easy to see why. Aged 22, the young centre-back demonstrated throughout 2025 why he's so highly rated.
Compared to positionally similar player in Argentina's top-flight last term, he ranked in the top 22% of centre-backs for duels won with 6.16 per 90 minutes. To put that into context, Romero has won 7.31 per 90 in the Premier League this season.
One of the standout attributes that Rivero possesses is his composure. He has completed 86.7% of his passes during the 2026 campaign, ranking him in the top 14% of positionally similar players.
Fierce in the duel and composed at the back, there is a belief here that Spurs could land their next Romero by completing a deal.