Tottenham are set to decide whether to push through a move for Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven or Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba at this stage as they try to revamp their defence.
Spurs are looking to overhaul Ange Postecoglou's backline after the team conceded 63 Premier League goals last season. The club have already moved to bring in a new goalkeeper between the sticks in highly-rated £17million Italian Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli, followed by the £40million capture of midfielder James Maddison.
With winger Manor Solomon expected to follow on a free transfer later this week, the aim is to bring in a new centre-back for Postecoglou to work with before the club flies out on July 14 to Perth for the first leg of their summer tour to Australia, Thailand and Singapore.
Spurs have held discussions over both Van de Ven and Tapsoba, with Dutch media suggesting that talks over personal terms with the former's camp have now progressed to an advanced stage with claims that Postecoglou has already spoken to the player about a move to north London.
Tottenham have a strong interest in 22-year-old Van de Ven, who is understood to be keen on the move after a standout season in the Bundesliga. The 6ft 3ins centre-back's eye-catching pace is seen as perfect for Postecoglou's desire to squeeze the opposition high up the pitch. He can also play as a left-back if required which only boosts the suitability of the raw, young Dutch talent with a reported value around the £30million mark.
Tottenham and Wolfsburg are yet to agree a deal for the Netherlands U21 international, who also has interest from other sides in Europe, including Liverpool.
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The 24-year-old Tapsoba is seen as a more ready-made addition for Postecoglou's defence, with his ability on the ball, strength and acceleration. The Burkina Faso international has made 100 Bundesliga appearances to Van de Ven's 38 and also has Champions League and Europa League experience.
However, his value is accordingly much higher than Van de Ven's with some reports in Germany placing it closer to the £50million mark.
Spurs will have to decide which of the two potential moves to advance at this stage of the summer and football.london reported last week that 25-year-old Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo also remains high up the club's list of potential targets.
The Manchester-born centre-back ticks plenty of boxes as a homegrown player and is now in the final 12 months of his contract at Fulham, after they previously activated another year on top of his deal, which still means his fee could be less than the other two centre-backs.
Tottenham's aim is to bring in at least two new centre-backs this summer to reinforce Postecoglou's options and Barcelona president Joan Laporta said this week that he expects to reach an agreement with Tottenham for Clement Lenglet to join permanently.
It is still undecided from Spurs' end at this point as to whether they will decide to bring back the Frenchman, although it clearly is an option, if the price remains low, that he could cover one of those centre-back slots as Lenglet is respected within the north London club as a steady performer and a model professional behind the scenes.
All eyes are also on just how many Tottenham defenders head out of the door this summer.
World Cup winner Cristian Romero is expected to suit Postecoglou's system well with his bravery on the ball and Eric Dier, who has 12 months left on his contract and returned to training at Hotspur Way this week following his groin surgery at the end of last season, is understood to have no intention of departing the club this summer and is excited about the coming season under Postecoglou.
Spurs are open to offers for both Davinson Sanchez and Joe Rodon, who was on loan at Rennes last season and has interest from Premier League clubs and sides in Ligue 1.
Tottenham would also listen to bids for Japhet Tanganga, who has struggled for game time in recent seasons. Losing Tanganga's status as a homegrown player might be problematic but that could be where making a move for Adarabioyo comes in.
Whatever happens in the weeks ahead, Postecoglou is expected to have a very different backline at his disposal, with Destiny Udogie also coming in as a left-back option after his loan season back at Udinese.
The new Spurs head coach loves to play on the front foot with his attacking football but he will have to also look backwards and make sure that the club's defence is far tighter than it was last season if he is to succeed.
