TOTTENHAM have made a £150million transfer warchest available for the winter window.
But Thomas Frank and the N17 hierarchy need to be able to persuade targets to make the move.
And the potential departure of sporting director Fabio Paratici to Fiorentina just days before the January window opens will further complicate matters for the Danish manager.
Tottenham are understood to be desperate to land a left winger after their failed summer attempts to bring in Manchester City’s Savinho.
Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is top of the wish-list but the Ghana ace is also wanted by Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United and is viewed as unlikely to be keen on a move to North London.
Were City to sign Semenyo, that would open the door for Tottenham to go back in for Savinho – although Spurs fans will point to the Brazilian’s poor goals return at the Etihad and wonder if that is much of an upgrade,
Savinho, 21, has scored just one Prem goal in his 42 appearances for City, including 25 league starts, with a total of five goals in 69 games in all competitions.
Frank has been forced to play effectively the entire campaign without his first choice centre-forward after Dominic Solanke’s ankle issue turned out to be far worse than anticipated.
The England striker is now back “on the grass” in training but Spurs have been linked for months with Porto’s Spain striker Samu Aghehowa, 21, likely to cost at least £50m.
Destiny Udogie’s continued injury problems also make the recruitment of a proper left-back a priority.
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
Udogie has already missed 11 games this season and will be out until at least next month with a hamstring problem after two previous knee injury absences this term.
With Ben Davies, 32, only just back in first team contention, Frank has been playing the right-footed Djed Spence on the left but Tottenham have looked even more lop-sided as a result.
They could sign a left-sided centre-back, which would allow Micky van der Ven to play on the left as he does for Holland.
Paratici controversially returned to a formal role at Spurs only in October after serving a 30-month ban for his role in the Juventus financial irregularities ban but has been offered a five-year contract by the Serie A basement outfit.