Tottenham have added Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven to a shortlist which also includes Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen as they search for a new centre-back.
Talks have already taken place with Van de Ven’s agents after the Dutch left-sided defender, who can also play at left-back, enjoyed a breakthrough season in the Bundesliga, playing in all but one of Wolfsburg’s league games.
The 22-year-old was included in Louis van Gaal’s 39-man preliminary World Cup 2022 squad but did not make the final cut. Van de Ven is still uncapped at senior level but is part of the Netherlands squad at the European Under-21 Championship.
Another potential target for Tottenham is Tapsoba, who has played a key role in Leverkusen’s resurgence under Xavi Alonso this season. The 24-year-old Burkina Faso international made 47 appearances in all competitions last term.
Tottenham will also make a renewed push to sign the Leicester attacking midfielder, James Maddison, next week. The England international remains the priority target for new manager Ange Postecoglou in that position, with Spurs thought to be ahead of Newcastle in the race after the Magpies made securing a deal for Milan’s Sandro Tonali their priority.
Spurs are rebuilding this summer under Postecoglou after missing out on European football for next season. A deal is in place for the Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, while Dejan Kulusevski has joined permanently from Juventus, signing a five-year contract after 18 months on loan in North London.
