Tottenham Hotspur are also targeting Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi this summer but face competition from a host of Premier League clubs.
Who are Spurs signing?
The north Londoners, boosted by new manager Ange Postecoglou's official arrival last weekend, have already made some serious summer moves.
Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro have put pen to paper on permanent deals from Juventus and Sporting Lisbon respectively, while the likes of Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison joined them from elsewhere this window.
Maddison, who signed for £40 million from Leicester City, has ended Tottenham's long-wait for a playmaker in the mould of Christian Eriksen – while Vicario's arrival could allow long-serving number one Hugp Lloris to depart.
Former Fulham loanee Manor Solomon is also said to be having a medical today ahead of a proposed free transfer to Spurs, coming after a FIFA ruling which allows the Israeli to depart Shakhtar Donetsk before the actual expiry of his contract.
It is widely believed that the signing of a star centre-back will follow these transfers, with the Lilywhites enduring a woeful 2022/2023 season in terms of goals conceced.
No other top flight side above 15th leaked more at the back than Spurs last season, a fact Postecoglou will be fully aware of as he seeks to bring back faith in the Tottenham cause.
Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba, Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo and Clement Lenglet from Barcelona are the centre-backs most heavily linked with a move to north London as of now.
However, according to Football Insider and journalist Pete O'Rourke, coming from a "well-placed source", Tottenham chiefs firmly have their eye on Guehi of Palace as well.
The England international, who impressed under both Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park last campaign, is also attracting interest from Newcaste, Liverpool and north London rivals Arsenal.
Spurs are among the sides ready to battle for Guehi, as this report suggests, but a deal could be hard to do given the Eagles could demand in excess of £60 million.
What's been said about Marc Guehi?
As per WhoScored, the 22-year-old was a mainstay for Palace last season, having featured over more league minutes than any other Palace player.
Guehi averaged the highest passing accuracy (85.5%) of any Palace player too, indicating he could fit into Postecoglou's system as a brilliant ball-playing defender.
The defender averaged their joint-highest rate of blocks per 90 and second-highest number of clearances on average, just behind fellow centre-half Joachim Andersen (WhoScored).
Guehi's quality isn't lost on Club Brugge keeper Josef Bursik, who called him an "absolute tank" when asked to pick the strongest player in England's Under-21 squad a couple of seasons ago.
"Easy, Marc Guehi. He’s an absolute tank,” Bursik said.
“It’s like having a brick wall in front of you, he’s massive.”
Meanwhile, Hodgson has also praised Guehi for his ball-playing ability and composure on the ball.
“Marc Guehi and (Joachim) Andersen are very good players," Hodgson explained.
“They’re good defenders and good on the ball, which is very useful because it helps you start attacks, switch play and develop the composure you need to build attacks up.
“They’re both very useful to the club and would be to any club because they’re good players.”
