TOTTENHAM have received a boost in their pursuit of James Maddison after Newcastle cooled their interest in the England star.
But Spurs are prioritising strengthening other positions first with central defence a key area of focus for now.
Maddison, 26, is set to leave relegated Leicester this summer.
The Foxes were hoping for £50million for their prize asset but with one year remaining on his deal, may well have to settle for closer to the £40m mark.
Spurs and Newcastle were leading the race but SunSport understands the Magpies, who are closing in on the £55m signing of AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali, have gone quiet on the deal.
A move to St James’ Park cannot be completely ruled out but it leaves Tottenham as front-runners to move for versatile midfielder Maddison, who netted ten goals and grabbed nine assists in the Premier League last term.
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Yet first the North Londoners want to address other areas, and after a season where they conceded a whopping 63 league goals, a new centre-back or two are first on the menu.
In their sights are Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, 25, who made 29 appearances for the Cottagers this term but has only one year left on his contract.
Spurs are also weighing up a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Burkina Faso ace Edmond Tapsoba, 24.
England defender Marc Guehi, 22, remains a target but Crystal Palace are after a fee of around £50m.
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New boss Ange Postecoglou is in need of new faces not just from a quality perspective but also numerically.
Davinson Sanchez is set to leave the club while loanee Clement Lenglet has already gone back to Barcelona.
Though there remains a possibility the French international, 28, who made 35 appearances for Spurs this term, could be re-signed permanently on a cut-price deal if a fee can be agreed.
Tottenham will be looking to trim their squad with no European football next season and a number of loanees returning to an already well-stocked roster.
But Postecoglou will likely want to assess the likes of Gio Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele, farmed out to Villarreal and Napoli respectively last term, before deciding on their futures.
Spurs are close to their second signing of the summer in the form of Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Serie A side Empoli.
Reports from the stopper’s homeland have suggested Vicario could even undergo a medical at Spurs on Sunday.
Loanee Dejan Kulusevski has already been signed permanently from Juventus for £25.7m, to be paid over six years.
ROD’S RETURN
Meanwhile, Rodrigo Bentancur is targeting a return to action in “two or three months” as he continues his recovery from a serious injury.
The Uruguayan, one of Spurs’ best players this term, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the 4-1 defeat at Leicester in February.
He has taken a club physio with him to his home country where he has enjoyed time with his family.
But the midfielder will head back to Spurs next week where he plans to stay to continue his recovery and speak to new boss Ange Postecoglou for the first time.
Bentancur, 25, told ESPN: “It’s a long injury, one of the most difficult in football, but the truth is that I’m having such a good time with my family.
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“I train the same every day, I do double shifts two or three times a week. I brought the club’s physiotherapist to Uruguay, we continue working and my knee is doing very well.
“I didn’t set a return date, but I hope in two or three months to be at least gaining a few minutes again.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
