Tottenham accelerate swoop for teenage wonderkid after Man Utd look to jump queue | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to accelerate their move for a top Belgian midfield talent this summer, after it emerged that Manchester United are looking to leapfrog all suitors for the player.

While Spurs’ current focus remains on maintaining their Premier League status, transfer chiefs remain in the hunt for top talent for next season and have their gaze now set on Belgium.

Tottenham built on their confidence-building draw at Liverpool last weekend by beating Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, although they ultimately crashed out of the competition with a 7-5 aggregate defeat.

The focus now switches to a must-win clash with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest in north London on Sunday, with the club’s summer business almost certainly dictated by what sort of business they will be able to do.

One thing they have got right in recent years is the addition of younger talent, although that has come back to bite them this season with the lack of experienced leaders currently in the squad.

The likes of midfield trio Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Pape Sarr have all exceeded expectations to date, but now Tottenham are on the hunt for the next top talent for their engine room in the shape of Nathan De Cat.

The 17-year-old Anderlecht star has taken the Belgian football by storm, earning rave reviews for his defensive midfield performances in the Jupiler Pro League.

Tottenham scouts wowed by De Cat

Over recent months, it has been widely reported that Spurs have set their sights on the impressive teenager, but the north London outfit will not have a free run at the player.

A fresh report in Fussball Daten has now revealed that Tottenham have stepped up their pursuit of De Cat, with scouts impressed by what they’ve seen on recent visits to Belgium.

They view the youngster as the ‘ideal deep-lying playmaker’ for their system, but they face stiff competition from Man Utd, who have also scouted the youngster.

It’s also reported that both Aston Villa and Brighton are monitoring De Cat’s progress, while there is also plenty of interest emanating from Germany.

Indeed, Fussball Daten adds that Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen are also watching the Belgium Under-18 international.

De Cat’s current deal at Anderlecht only runs until the summer of 2027, although Anderlecht currently have no intention of selling him for a bargain fee this summer.

Indeed, it’s reported that the Belgian giants are only expected to entertain offers in the region of €30m-€35m (£26m-£30.2m) for the midfielder, which would make the deal a record transfer for any teenager from the division.

Tottenham are set to keep Igor Tudor in charge for this weekend’s pivotal relegation six‑pointer against Nottingham Forest, TEAMtalk can confirm, though sources insist the Croatian is not out of the woods yet and have explained why their hunt for a possible new interim option remains ongoing.

Elsewhere, Manchester City are warming to the idea of selling a player Tottenham have bid for before and if avoiding relegation, a massive new offer should be accepted, according to reports.

Finally, Spurs are lining up a summer move for a top Roma midfield talent, for whom they’ve already submitted an offer of €20million (£17.3m / $23m), per reports, and a potential SWAP deal could be on the cards.