Tottenham are preparing to test West Ham's resolve with a lowball bid for Mohammed Kudus, according to reports. Spurs have not conducted transfer business with their cross-city rivals for well over a decade on account of Daniel Levy's poor relationship with senior figures at the London Stadium.
Any ill feeling will have to be put to one side if Tottenham are to get their hands on Kudus, who the Hammers could cash in on to fund a squad rebuild for manager Graham Potter. But Levy risks inflaming tensions with David Sullivan and other major investors if they deem an offer to be insulting.
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Kudus has an £85million release clause, which is accessible to Premier League clubs, written into his West Ham contract. And according to The Guardian, Spurs are prepared to open the bidding at £50m - less than 60 per cent of the top-end figure.
It has been reported that West Ham would be prepared to sell Kudus for less than his £85m clause, although they are likely to demand somewhere close to that sum. The Ghanaian, 24, has been a live wire since landing in the Premier League two years ago, scoring 19 goals in 80 games.
And Tottenham are not the only cash-rich Premier League side with an interest in Kudus. The idea was reportedly floated to Chelsea earlier in the window, and he remains on the radar at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues' chances of landing Kudus could be boosted by claims that West Ham bosses are keen on goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who both face uncertain futures under Enzo Maresca.
Sanchez spent the majority of last season as Chelsea's No. 1, but Stamford Bridge chiefs spent the early part of the transfer window pursuing AC Milan stopper Mike Maignan. Dewsbury-Hall, meanwhile, has been feeding off scraps of game time since completing a £30m move from Leicester City last summer.
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Spurs may require a wide player of Kudus' calibre if they decide it is the right time to part ways with skipper Son Heung-min. The South Korean is attracting interest from Saudi Pro League sides for the third year in a row, and they are prepared to put significant cash on the table, despite the fact Son only has a year left on his contract.
Any move would have to wait until later in the window, however, as Tottenham are contractually obliged to play Son in a pre-season friendly on South Korean soil at the beginning of August.