Tottenham Hotspur are widely reported to be in talks over a deal for Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze, but he isn't their only playmaking target, as chairman Daniel Levy assesses alternative options too.
A dramatic late move for Eze would seriously help to put a pretty miserable recent few weeks behind Spurs.
In the space of a few days in early August, Thomas Frank was forced to both wave an emotional goodbye to club legend Son Heung-min and find a way to cope without the creative influence of James Maddison.
Since Son's departure, Cristian Romero has replaced the South Korean as captain of the Lilywhites, but Frank is still attempting to fill the gaping void left by Maddison's serious injury.
Hearts were in mouths when the 28-year-old collapsed to the turf and was stretched off against Newcastle in Seoul, and it has since been confirmed that Maddison will miss most of the 2025/2026 season after suffering an ACL rupture.
Before losing Son and Maddison in different respects, Tottenham missed out on a £60m deal for Morgan Gibbs-White in the most bizarre fashion imaginable.
The original plan was to complement Maddison with Gibbs-White's arrival, but in a sorry state of affairs, Frank heads into the new season with neither - despite going as far as to book a medical for the latter last month.
Dejan Kulusevski's lengthy lay-off with an injury compounds Tottenham's troubles, but their newly-opened talks for Eze have sparked some hope that the north Londoners can back Frank with a much-needed new creator before the summer deadline.
Spurs are in negotiations to sign both Eze and Man City winger Savinho in separate deals right now, but as we've seen from their transfer window so far, Tottenham's business is rarely so straightforward.
If a deal cannot be done for Eze, the club do have fallback targets, and one of them is Como sensation Nico Paz.
Tottenham weighing up Como starlet Nico Paz after alleged rejected bid
Last week, Sky Italia reporter Gianluca Di Marzio reported that Tottenham had a £35 million offer rejected for Paz, but his colleague Michael Bridge now states that Frank's side are still there for the Argentine.
According to Bridge, in a fresh Sky Sports update, it is believed that Tottenham are still weighing up Paz as an option in their search for a number 10, but it could be a very difficult deal to do.
"The main players Spurs want are a No 10, a defender and a winger," reported Bridge in a Q&A.
"Eberechi Eze is a player who's been on their radar for some time. But before now, it's never gone beyond someone they've got an interest in.
"Now the Crystal Palace midfielder can be considered among their top targets. They are also assessing other targets, including Como's Nico Paz - but that is looking like a difficult deal to do."
Cesc Fabregas' Como have set a valuation of around £60 million for the 20-year-old, which is a similar price to Eze, and could arguably be viewed as much more of a gamble.
Paz has just one full season of regular football under his belt, with Spurs in need of a more proven playmaker right now, despite some praise from footballing icon Lionel Messi.
“Nico has many qualities and understands the game perfectly," said Messi.
"He has an impressive mind and is working with a coach who is my friend (Cesc Fabregas) who will help him grow even more.”