9 players who Tottenham could realistically sign this summer

Mauricio Lemos (Las Palmas)

It may be difficult for Tottenham to significantly improve their starting XI this summer given the club’s strict wage structure, so Mauricio Pochettino may instead be focused on adding depth in a number of key positions. With Eric Dier keen to play in midfield and Kevin Wimmer still yet to convince, a back-up central defender could be the near the top of the Argentine’s wishlist.

Someone like Lemos would be ideal: like many Uruguayan centre-backs, the 21-year-old is rugged and aggressive, but he can play a bit too. The fact that he turned down Barcelona last summer due to concerns about playing time could be a sticking point, however.

Rachid Ghezzal (Lyon)

Alexandre Lacazette is the Lyon attacker who’s taken up most column inches in the last few weeks, but Ghezzal is another talented forward who looks to be on his way out of the Stade des Lumieres sooner rather than later.

The Algerian winger has been linked with a host of European outfits, partly because his contract is on the verge of expiring – including Spurs in the past. With no initial outlay he’s certainly worth a look for Spurs, who would benefit from his trickery and invention in the final third.

Petar Stojanovic (Dinamo Zagreb)

Not a household name by any means, but Stojanovic is the type of prospect Tottenham should be eyeing. The north Londoners are, for now at least, unable to match the spending power of their domestic rivals, so targeting gifted youngsters like the Slovenian could help them compete for major honours in the coming campaigns.

Kieran Trippier looks set to step into Kyle Walker’s shoes and become first-choice right-back at Wembley next year, but Stojanovic would make for a solid backup. Bold and attack-minded, he’d have little trouble adapting to a wing-back role if necessary.

Andre Horta (Benfica)

Benfica won’t be looking to sell their talented young midfielder, who still has four years left to run on his deal at the Estadio da Luz, but Portuguese clubs are used to moving players on at a relatively fast rate. That could encourage Spurs to try their luck.

Able to operate either as a central midfielder or a No.10, Horta possesses ability and energy in abundance. He’s probably best suited to the deeper of the two above roles, driving forward with the ball at his feet and turning defence into attack at speed. His box-to-box qualities would make him a handy alternative to Mousa Dembele, who turns 30 in July and missed a handful of games through injury last season.

Sandro Ramirez (Malaga)

With a paltry €6m release clause in his contract, it’s no surprise that several European clubs are supposedly sniffing around the Malaga striker, who swapped Barcelona for the Boquerones a year ago. Sandro struck 14 goals in La Liga last term, as well as a brace in his only Copa del Rey appearance, and would perhaps make for superior backup to Harry Kane than Vincent Janssen.

Often compared to David Villa because of his size, movement and ability to spring into life inside the 18-yard box, Sandro could prove one of the bargains of the summer. He’d even give Christian Eriksen a run for his money in the free-kick stakes.

Jean Michael Seri (Nice)

Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere announced his intention to retain Seri's services in an interview with RMC this week, but it’s hard to see the midfielder sticking around given the level of interest he’s generating. Arsenal, Barcelona, Roma, Paris Saint-Germain and, er, Swansea have all been keeping tabs on the 25-year-old according to reports, with Spurs another side who have been mentioned in relation to a player who was integral to Nice’s third-place finish in Ligue 1.

Dynamic and creative, Seri scored seven goals and set up nine in 2016/17, while his average of 2.2 key passes per game put him above the likes of Marco Verratti, Thiago Alcantara, Luka Modric and Andres Iniesta. He’d be an excellent acquisition - if a difficult one to pull off.

• TALENTSPOTTER Read up on Serie's story in more detail here 

Suso (Milan)

Hold your horses, Liverpool fans: the Milan version of Suso is a different player to the one who failed to make any sort of impact at Anfield earlier this decade. The Spaniard was superb for much of last season, scoring seven goals and providing nine assists in Vincenzo Montella's fresher, new-look Rossoneri side.

Most comfortable when cutting infield from the right, Suso would provide an alternative to Eriksen, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min in advanced areas, while his creativity could help unlock stubborn defences – something Spurs have struggled to do at times under Pochettino.

Moussa Dembele (Celtic) 

Tottenham were said to be interested in Dembele this time last year, but the then-Fulham youngster opted for Celtic instead. He’s subsequently done his chances of a big-money move to the Premier League no harm whatsoever, netting 32 goals in all competitions as Brendan Rodgers’ charges finished the domestic campaign undefeated in 2016/17.

If that’s not reason enough for Tottenham to sign him, they’ve already got Mousa Dembele on the books and it would, quite frankly, be pretty fun to hear confused commentators try to differentiate between the two next term.

Harry Maguire (Hull)

Maguire was one of Hull’s standout performers in the second half of last season, when Marco Silva almost inspired the Tigers to Premier League survival. The all-action centre-half isn’t afraid to get stuck in, but he’s also more accomplished in possession than his unorthodox style might suggest. With his contract set to expire in 2018, Maguire may even be available for a cut-price fee – something that will no doubt appeal to Daniel Levy.

“He has very good skills and it's clear to me he will have a big career in the future,” Silva said of the defender in May. And who are we to disagree?

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