Spurs to rival Man City for defensive signing

Tottenham Hotspur suffered yet another defeat on Saturday as they were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United in North London. 

Ange Postecoglou’s side took an early lead through Dominic Solanke, but Anthony Gordon quickly equalised for the visitors.

Alexander Isak then put the Magpies in front before the break, netting in his seventh successive Premier League game to move one closer to the record for most consecutive matches scored in, currently held by Jamie Vardy who netted in 11 successive games.

The result leaves Spurs 12th in the Premier League table, and Postecoglou may choose to delve into the transfer market during this month’s window in order to bolster his squad.

Defence has been a particular area of concern for the Lilywhites this season, with several of Postecoglou’s defenders suffering injuries.

With that in mind, it appears that Tottenham have entered the race to sign a Ligue 1 defender.

According to CaughtOffside, Tottenham could make a move to sign RC Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov this month.

The report claims that the North London outfit are on the hunt for defensive reinforcements and could look to sign Khusanov, who has been in fine form for Lens this season.

Khusanov (left) has impressed for Lens

The 20-year-old has played in 13 of Lens’ 15 Ligue 1 matches so far this term, only missing the other two games due to a suspension.

It is also claimed that the Uzbekistan international has attracted interest from Premier League champions Manchester City, who could make an opening offer of around £8 million for the youngster.

Despite this, Lens are said to value the centre-back at around £12-16 million and may therefore reject City’s opening offer if it is tabled.

Fellow Premier League side Newcastle United are also said to be interested in the player, while French sides Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille are also credited with an interest.

Spurs’ need for defensive reinforcements stems from recent injuries to both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Khusanov is contracted to Lens until 2027, having joined the club from Belarusian side Energetik-BGU Minsk in the summer of 2023.