Antonio Conte is set for a busy final week of the January transfer window as the Tottenham boss looks to make his first signing.
The Italian has made an immediate impact in north London, despite Chelsea halting his unbeaten run on Sunday, but wants to bring in his own players to push for a top-four finish.
The midfield is the area where plenty of movement is expected as Spurs target reinforcements in the middle of the park.
Conte's decision to exclude Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli from Sunday's squad gave a clear indication of what he thinks of Tottenham's current crop.
When asked about the Argentine's absence after the game, Conte simply said: "I selected the players for this game and for this question is one for the club to answer."
Then when asked about Alli by Sky, he added: "I don't want to comment about single players. There is the club to make the best decision on this aspect on players leaving and also to buy.
"There is a sporting director and also a chairman. They take the last decision, it is right to speak to them, not you."
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The trio are reportedly all on the shop window as Conte looks to use reinvest those funds to find a midfielder he can rely on, according to football.london.
Ndombele and Lo Celso cost more than £110million but have not hit the heights expected of them while Alli has lost his way in recent years after bursting onto the scene as a youngster.
Sevilla are keen on bringing former Real Betis man Lo Celso back to La Liga before the end of the month, while both Everton and Newcastle have shown an interest in Alli.
Weston McKennie is the player Spurs would like to replace the trio with as sporting director Fabio Paratici remains a huge admirer of the Juventus star after taking him from Schalke in 2020.
The 23-year-old USA international has impressed in Serie A this season and has become a regular in Juve's side since coming back from a knee injury in December.
Paratici has spoken to the players' representatives about a potential move, although a January switch would be difficult as Massimiliano Allegri doesn't want to lose a player midway through the season.
The future of Dusan Vlahovic could change the landscape entirely, however,
Juventus are attempting to hijack Arsenal's move for the Fiorentina striker which would cost them in the region of £70m.
McKinnie's sale would certainly help balance the books and the Italians would have no problem sacrificing him if it meant landing Vlahovic.
Spurs are still keeping an eye on the Serbian but realise they are likely priced out of a move with several clubs chasing his signature.
Paratici will rue the decision not to launch a bid for the 21-year-old the summer, when Spurs first looked at him, due to his drastic price rise since, but Vlahovic's arrival at Juve could set off a chain reaction that would boost their chances of signing McKinnie.
Conte understands the difficulty of adding quality players in January, but conceded the squad needs quality arrivals to improve.
"This is not the right moment and also to speak in front of the media. The club know very well what I think," he said.
"The time we need to close this gap, there is not one transfer market, I think the last few years the gap became very, very big and now it is not simple to find the solution in a short time.
"For this reason I am only focused with the players to work until the end and then we'll see. We have four months to give everything, but if we think we solve with the transfer market it is not a reality.
"You need many years. For sure you have to start, the level of the squad has to improve."
