Tottenham Hotspur are now battling Manchester United for the signing of a "fantastic" midfielder, with Thomas Frank personally keen.
Tottenham looking to sign new midfielder
It is becoming clear that Tottenham are keen to bring in a new central midfielder during the January transfer window, having identified a range of targets, with signing Athletic Bilbao's Oihan Sancet believed to be a priority.
The need to sign a new central midfielder could be exacerbated by Yves Bissouma's potential departure, with it recently being revealed the Mali international was offered to West Ham United twice during the January transfer window.
However, it remains to be seen whether Bissouma will leave Spurs, with Frank making it clear he still has the opportunity to force his way back into his plans, saying: "To be fair he has just started to run outside, so he is not part of the group but everything I have seen when I've said hello to him and every day with the players, he seems good.
"There are no hard feelings at all. Not before, not now, not at all. Train well and everyone has an opportunity."
Regardless, Tottenham have now started to identify central midfield targets ahead of the January transfer window, with TEAMtalk revealing that Brentford's Yehor Yarmoliuk is now of interest, with Frank personally keen on a reunion.
There may be competition for Yarmoliuk's signature, however, with Manchester United also keen on a deal, which could amount to £30m, although the Bees are insistent that a sale during the January transfer window is off the table.
Frank has also taken the time to praise his former player in the past, saying: "[Yarmolyuk] possesses a fantastic mindset and trains well every day."
Yarmolyuk could be solid Bissouma replacement
With Bissouma's future still up in the air, it is no surprise that Tottenham are identifying central midfielders as potential targets, and the Brentford star could be a like-for-like replacement, given his defensive capabilities.
The 21-year-old places in the 86th percentile for tackles per 90 over the past year, and the 94th percentile for blocks, when compared to other midfielders.
The Ukrainian has also established himself as a first-team regular at Brentford, making 63 appearances across the past three seasons, which suggests he could be capable of making the step-up to Spurs.
Yarmoliuk clearly has a lot of potential, and given that he is still only 21-years-old, £30m seems like a fairly reasonable fee for his services.