In the latter stages of last year's January transfer window Spurs were on the brink of signing Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat. The deal eventually fell through and many Spurs were thankful a move was not completed with Rodrigo Bentancur instead being the deadline day signing.
The first 10 months of Bentancur's career in north London certainly suggests it was the correct decision to bring him in alongside Dejan Kulusevski in January. However, the displays of Amrabat at the World Cup with Morocco have perhaps shown he would not have been a bad alternative.
The African nation defied the odds stacked against them by reaching the semi finals in Qatar, dumping out Spain and Portugal in the previous two rounds. Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech and Angers Azzedine Ounahi both dazzled for their country while Amrabat was simply impenetrable at the base of midfield.
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Amrabat has been lauded with praise following his performances at the World Cup and was named in L'Equipe's team of the tournament alongside Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and two of his national team-mates.
Composed and powerful performances on the grandest stage from the 26-year-old certainly shows why Conte is such a huge admirer of him. Multiple reports indicated that Spurs were close to agreeing a £12.5million deal before a major U-turn was made on January's deadline day.
However, with the January transfer window close to opening, Spurs could re-enter the market for Amrabat despite their midfield options being boosted by the arrival of Yves Bissouma in the summer.
La Repubblica reported last week that Tottenham were at the front of the queue as potential clubs interested in signing Amrabat in January. Foot Mercato have also supported these claims but have revealed that Conte could face competition from Liverpool next month.
A move to England could be inevitable for Amrabat as he "wants to discover the Premier League", but the report also states Fiorentina are trying to extend the midfielder's contract. However a winter exit for the Moroccan international has not been ruled out with a fee of €40million (£34.8million) likely to be enough to tempt the Serie A outfit into selling.
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