Tottenham strongly interested in floundering defensive prospect | OneFootball

Tottenham have seemingly been making a renewed focus on building towards the future, as the theme of the previous summer transfer window was signing some of the biggest ascending talents in European football.

Spurs made quite the coup when they beat Barcelona to the punch for Lucas Bergvall, and the young Swedish midfielder is already the best player Spurs have in the middle of the park. Fellow teenager Archie Gray has similarly sky-high potential. Meanwhile, Mikey Moore, Wilson Odobert, and Brennan Johnson lead a front line rife with young talent that could soon add Mathys Tel to the mix on a permanent basis. And that's not even mentioning all the youth academy players bubbling up to the surface at Tottenham.

Although the future is bright for Spurs, the present is bleak. Tottenham are still in play for Champions League qualification if they can win the Europa League, and they are through to the semifinals. But domestically, Spurs are 16th in the Premier League and haven't beaten a team outside of the bottom three since edging out Manchester United 1-0 on Feb. 16.

Tottenham want to sign Axel Tape

And yet, Tottenham continue to show interest in prospects more than established players. According to a report from RMC Sport's Fabrice Hawkins, Tottenham, alongside Bayer Leverkusen, are "pushing" to sign PSG center back and center midfield prospect Axel Tape.

Just 17 years old, Tape's main claim to fame is versatility, because, at this point, he is viewed as a disappointment by PSG and their fans after how overmatched he looked against amateur players in a cup game against a team in the fifth division of French football.

Those are the matches in which a young player at PSG is expected to shine, and with the club ranking among the best in Europe at producing talents, there isn't much margin for error. Tape has failed to impress or develop in Paris, which is likely why Hawkins is reporting that the 17-year-old is not going to be signing his first professional contract with his current club.

Tottenham need to focus on their own youth

Tottenham shouldn't necessarily be scared off just for this reason, and a small enough financial investment would mean that taking a punt on Tape may not be disastrous. At the same time, Tottenham likely have better and more known commodities in their own youth system waiting for a chance, and they already have quality young first-team center backs like Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso (even if we assume Cristian Romero gets sold).

Tape could come good, but it makes more sense for a Bundesliga team with more current success and under less pressure, such as Leverkusen, is the one to take a minor gamble on the PSG defender. For Spurs, it makes more sense to spend and allocate resources on established players who can help the team now while focusing giving opportunities to current youth players.