Tottenham Hotspur may have stolen a march over rival clubs in the race to sign Manchester City star Manuel Akanji, according to reports - with Thomas Frank's men now thought to be 'leading the race' to sign the 30-year-old in the final day of the transfer window period, ahead of other major clubs in Europe.
The report by Italian outlet Gazzetta states that AC Milan have made Akanji their first-choice target, who is valued by City at around £12.8million plus add-ons - and an agreement between the Serie A side and City won't be a problem.
Report: Tottenham 'Frontrunners' to Sign Manuel Akanji from Manchester City
However, they still need to convince Akanji to join, having discussed the £180,000-a-week wages that he earns at the Etihad Stadium with the Swiss star - and that potential obstacle has put Tottenham into the lead in the race for his signature.
The fact that they can offer more in terms of wages, as well as Champions League football, means that Akanji's desire to play in Europe's premier cup competition can be fulfilled at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs have been after a central defender for some time, making bids for stars such as Burnley's Maxime Esteve, Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi and Bayer Leverkusen starter Piero Hincapie in recent times - though they are still without solid backup for Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Manuel Akanji has three goals in 71 caps for Switzerland.
Kevin Danso has somewhat impressed, but Radu Dragusin has failed to stamp his mark on the club after his move from Genoa 18 months ago, and the club cannot afford to have teenager Archie Gray in an unnatural centre-back position again, a period last season that massively contributed to their 17th-place finish in the Premier League.
Akanji has experience in abundance, having featured 58 times for Basel, 158 times for Borussia Dortmund in a five-year spell, and 136 times for City - including winning the treble in his debut campaign at the club. His first three seasons under Pep Guardiola saw the Swiss star feature in 85 of their 114 top-flight games, a solid amount for a club who like to rotate their defence due to lengthy runs in other competitions.
Spurs would massively benefit from that themselves, having qualified for the Champions League, and if they can remain as frontrunners before the deadline, then they will have secured a superb player for their ranks, aiming to mix their youthful signings with experience to continue their strong run of form after their Europa League triumph at the end of May.