Tottenham to compete with bitter rivals for £34m-rated defender in summer

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing the Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba.

They were linked with the 25-year-old at the start of the season as well. The defender is valued at €40 million (£34m) as per SportBILD (h/t SportWitness) and it remains to be seen whether Tottenham are prepared to offer that kind of money for him.

The Burkina Faso international has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga and he has the qualities to thrive in English football as well. Spurs need to sign another quality central defender to complete their defensive unit and the 25-year-old would be a superb investment.

Tapsoba has been in impressive form this season, helping Leverkusen to the top of the table. He will be hoping to win the league title with the German club this season and then move on to a new challenge.

The opportunity to play in the Premier League can be quite tempting and Tottenham have an exciting project. They have appointed a quality manager as well.

It remains to be seen how the situation develops. The North London outfit will face competition from London rivals Chelsea.

The Blues need to bring in defensive reinforcements as well and the 25-year-old would be a useful option to have. That said, Tapsoba might be tempted to join Tottenham instead. They are better placed to secure Champions League qualification and they have a more stable project right now.

In addition to that, it seems highly likely that Chelsea will miss out on European qualification.