Tottenham "contenders" to sign "unbelievable" defender set to cost £50m

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Tottenham Hotspur are "contenders" to sign an "unbelievable" defender who's now set to cost £50m, reporter Pete O'Rourke has revealed.

Spurs looking to bolster defensive options

Spurs completed the signing of West Ham United winger Mohammed Kudus last week, with the Ghanaian arriving for a fee of £55m, while they also remain confident about sealing a deal for Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.

That is according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who said: "They want to proceed with the deal, they want to sign the player. Nottingham Forest are prepared to fight. So, let’s see what’s going to happen there.

"But, for sure, the Gibbs-White deal now has an issue to be solved between the two clubs. That’s going to be one to watch in the coming days and hours, with Tottenham still hopeful and confident to get the player."

Should Spurs get a deal for Forest star over the line, they may turn their attentions to bolstering their backline, given that they had the fifth-worst defensive record in the Premier League last season.

Speaking to Football Insider, O'Rourke has now dropped an update on one of the centre-back's Tottenham could target, Burnley's Maxime Esteve saying: "Everton showed a lot of interest in him as well, now Tottenham are being mentioned as contenders for a signature if he leaves Burnley this summer.

"Spurs did try to sign him in the January window when he was doing so well; Burnley don’t want to lose Esteve, and they’ve put a £50million price tag on his head.

"I don’t think Spurs would go near that level to try and sign Esteve, but Burnley are in a really strong position to negotiate here. He’s under contract until 2029 and they can demand a substantial fee because of his contract – that price tag will probably scare off most clubs."

"Unbelievable" Esteve could allay Spurs' defensive problems

At this stage, Burnley hold all the cards in the negotiations, but should the French defender push for a move this summer, there are clear signs that he could help allay Spurs' defensive problems.

Remarkably, the Clarets shipped just 16 goals in the Championship en-route to promotion last season, and the Frenchman played every single game, during which time he managed to impress manager Scott Parker.

Parker said: "First and foremost he’s a great kid and an unbelievable professional. Just his general aura about him and his humility about the boy and his professionalism, just everything about him is a top, top boy and of course you see his quality as well."

That said, £50m would be a huge fee to pay for a player yet to prove himself at Premier League level, and with Burnley in a strong negotiating position, it would not be a surprise if Tottenham decide to move on to other targets.