Tottenham have held discussions with the representatives of an esteemed Barcelona target, with Roberto De Zerbi and co offered the chance to sign him this summer.
Spurs tipped for busy De Zerbi-led summer if they avoid relegation
There is something almost defiant about the speed with which Tottenham have moved since De Zerbi's appointment was confirmed this week.
A club that has spent the season in varying states of disarray — three managers, a points tally that has lurched them to within a single point of the relegation zone, home fans whose frustration has long since curdled into something darker — is suddenly alive with purpose again.
Not because the underlying problems have been solved, they manifestly have not.
But because De Zerbi, the Italian who was allegedly sporting director Johan Lange's number one target from the moment the summer was first discussed, carries with him the kind of credibility that cuts through the noise and creates space for optimism even amid crisis.
The lucrative five-year contract, which has made him one of England's highest-paid managers, is deliberate. This is not a gaffer hired to hold the line.
It is one hired to build something — and he has been granted the power to shape that build more directly than Spurs managers typically have, with a greater say in transfer decisions than the standard head coach arrangement would allow.
The immediate task, of course, is survival.
His first game arrives on April 12 when Spurs travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland. Seven games remain, and one point separates the club from the drop.
However, even as that existential battle unfolds, the work for next season has already begun.
Manuel Locatelli — the Juventus captain and Italian international whom De Zerbi worked with at Sassuolo a decade ago — is understood to be his first personal transfer target.
The appointment also appears to have reactivated the pursuit of Bart Verbruggen, the 23-year-old Brighton goalkeeper who was a standout performer under De Zerbi at the Amex.
Spurs reportedly want him as the long-term replacement for Guglielmo Vicario, who is understood to have given the green light to a move to Inter Milan, though the chase for Verbruggen will not be straightforward.
Underpinning those potential additions, however, is a more pressing structural need.
Both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are could leave Spurs this summer, opening a significant hole at the heart of a defence that has struggled for coherence all season.
That reality makes what TEAMtalk's Graeme Bailey revealed this week all the more relevant.
Tottenham hold talks with Marcos Senesi's agents over free transfer
As per his information, Marcos Senesi's representatives have approached Tottenham, among others, about a potential Bosman move for the Bournemouth centre-back this summer.
The Argentine has already informed Bournemouth that he will not be extending his stay at the Vitality Stadium, placing him in the free transfer market at a moment when Spurs' defensive rebuild desperately needs affordable, experienced solutions.
Left-footed, composed in possession and a consistent performer across 30 league appearances this season — contributing to nine clean sheets in Andoni Iraola's side — Senesi is exactly the kind of technically accomplished defender De Zerbi's system demands.
His primary goal is Barcelona, with whom his agents have held direct talks, and the dream of Camp Nou remains very much alive.
The obstacle there is that the Catalan club have prioritised Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni above all else, and until that pursuit reaches a conclusion, Senesi's situation remains in a state of uncertainty.
Should Bastoni prove unattainable, Senesi becomes Barcelona's immediate alternative — but the wait could be a long one.
For Spurs, the attraction of a 'valuable' centre-back at zero cost, with Premier League quality, at a moment when the defensive cupboard is being substantially cleared out is obvious.
Whether De Zerbi makes Senesi a genuine priority will depend on what unfolds in the coming weeks, but the opening exchange has apparently been made.