Ange Postecoglou could target Manchester United captain Harry Maguire as his first Tottenham transfer with the added hope it could tempt Harry Kane to stay.
Maguire, 30, is expected to be the subject of interest from other clubs this summer, having slipped down the pecking order at Old Trafford this season. Despite falling out of favour, he will still attract plenty of suitors with Spurs believed to be in the market for a centre-back.
Maguire and Kane know each other well from the England national team and are thought to be close - a fact which could be used by Spurs to tempt their all-time top goalscorer to remain at the club as they embark on a new era under Postecoglou. Kane has even recommended signing Maguire to club chiefs in the past.
The Telegraph report Spurs are interested in the former Leicester defender, who made just 16 Premier League appearances during the 2022/23 season at United as he slipped to fifth-choice centre-back under Erik ten Hag. His position looks unlikely to change despite still remaining as the club's captain.
Maguire will have one eye on Euro 2024 next summer and England boss Gareth Southgate has already warned he needs to be playing regular football if he wants to keep his place in the squad. Spurs could offer an ideal opportunity as they seek a defender with top-class pedigree, while his leadership could bring some much-needed experience to their back line.
However, United could yet use Spurs' interest to their own advantage, with the Red Devils reportedly keen to make use of their squad players in order to seal deals for their summer targets. This could see Maguire offered as a makeweight in a deal to sign Kane, with Daniel Levy thought to be demanding £100 million to part ways with his star player this summer.
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Spurs face a tough task to retain the services of Kane this summer, with Real Madrid emerging as a leading candidate for the player's signature following the departure of Karim Benzema.
But Kane has expressed a desire to help make improvements at Tottenham, which bodes well for Postecoglou's hopes of keeping him. "On the pitch I always give 110 percent," Kane told Sky Sports earlier this month. "I always give my all for the team and the club.
"I think off the pitch to have those conversations with the chairman [Daniel Levy] and with the staff here and try and give my opinion on some of the things that I think can help us be more consistent and more successful in the culture that we try and set.
"I feel like from a culture point of view we've been too up and down over the last few years. In any great team, any winning team, they have a way of doing things and whoever comes in or is added to that they fit in straight away and know the standards.
"Ours have been a little bit loose I feel like, and we need to find a way to create that environment that drives success."
