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Tom Coley

Leicester City target Antonio Conte Tottenham outcast as Youri Tielemans replacement

Tottenham could be doing fierce North London rivals Arsenal an unlikely favour in the transfer window as Antonio Conte looks to trim his squad down amid a busy start to the summer transfer window.

The Londoners have already bought in four players to bolster Conte's options and are still looking into extra defensive options, with football.london understanding that Clement Lenglet is due to become a Spurs player in time for their preseason tour of South Korea.

Alongside statement moves for Everton forward Richarlison and Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, Spurs have also picked up Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster, adding to the side that finished fourth in the league last season.

READ MORE: We 'signed' Clement Lenglet for Tottenham this summer and it posed transfer question

However, Arsenal's attempts to narrow the gap on the top four have seen them emerge as favourites to sign talented Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, a transfer that could have a knock-on effect for Daniel Levy and Spurs. If Mikel Arteta is to add the Belgian to Gabriel Jesus as a second standout summer acquisition, it will leave Brendan Rodgers short in the centre of the park.

This has opened up the possibility of Harry Winks leaving his boyhood club to fill in at the King Power Stadium as Leicester prepares to lose their star midfielder. The Englishman has fallen out of favour under Conte, only starting eight league matches since the Italian took over, and is looking to earn more consistent first-team football after seeing his minutes drop drastically since 2020/21.

It was believed that both Everton and Leeds were looking into the signing of Winks, the Yorkshire side have since added two players to that area of the field, and Frank Lampard is said to be looking elsewhere. Speaking to the podcast Last Word on Spurs, Sami Mokbel said, "I definitely know that there are other Premier League clubs interested in Harry Winks, one certainly being Leicester.

"I think Leicester have certainly got a keen interest in Harry Winks. He's a Brendan Rodgers-type of player. He's comfortable on the ball, comfortable in possession, and can find a pass. So if the price is right and the deal is right, I think that deal will have legs and could have legs moving forward for sure."

The rise of Oliver Skipp has also dented Winks' hopes of securing a regular first-team spot as he is now effectively competing against six other players for just two midfield positions. The 21-year-old Skipp played nearly 1,000 more minutes that Winks last season and is evidently higher up Conte's pecking order.

Winks has played 202 matches for Spurs since his debut in 2016, receiving 10 England caps in the process. He hasn't been favoured recently for Gareth Southgate since his dip in-game time, though, playing his last international match nearly two years ago.

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