Tottenham Hotspur are said to be interested in West Ham United centre-back Issa Diop, who Jose Mourinho has publicly praised before.
Tottenham’s contract talks with Vertonghen have ‘stalled’ with the club now looking for potential recruits to cover for the Belgian’s departure.
Vertonghen has just months remaining on his current deal at Spurs, and it seems likely that he will leave at the end of the season.
Mourinho is now eyeing West Ham centre-back Diop up as a potential recruit.
West Ham reportedly want £50 million for Diop, but Tottenham still are interested in doing a deal for the young Frenchman.
Diop could offer Spurs power and presence at the back if he was to sign, and at the age of 22, he is considerably younger than Vertonghen.
Mourinho has publicly gone on record to praise Diop before, during his time as Manchester United boss, and is known to be a big fan of the West Ham man.
With Tottenham’s defence looking shaky right now there could be route straight into Spurs’s starting line-up for Diop if he was to sign.
Diop could be a good partner for Toby Alderweireld at the back if Spurs could get a deal over the line, as his skill-set could compliment the more experienced Tottenham man.
And it now remans to be seen whether Daniel Levy will back Mourinho over signing the central defender in the coming weeks.
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