Tottenham Hotspur could turn to former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori to solve their defensive woes, with one under-fire defender moving the other way as part of a swap deal.
Spurs have endured a tough couple of months since the World Cup break, winning just three of their last eight Premier League games.
A big factor behind the slump has been defensive frailties, something not normally associated with an Antonio Conte team. Spurs have leaked goals at an alarming rate this season - 35 in 23 games - and individual errors have played a significant role.
Advert
In the heart of defense Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga and Cristian Romero have been inconsistent, while wing-backs Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty - who joined Atletico Madrid last month - have failed to convince.
With an array of talent in the attacking department, defense seems the obvious area to strengthen in the summer transfer window. It now appears that Spurs are eyeing up AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori in an attempt to do just that.
According to Calciomercato, Spurs want to bring the 25-year-old back to London, two years after he left boyhood club Chelsea for the Italian giants. Tomori came up through the ranks at Spurs' London rivals but struggled to find first-team minutes.
Advert
He joined Milan on loan in January 2021, and made the San Siro his permanent home the following summer. Quick, positionally aware and defensively intelligent, Tomori was the bedrock of AC Milan's 2021/22 Serie A title triumph.
If Spurs make a move for the England international, then they could offer Emerson Royal in return. Spurs signed the Brazilian full-back from Barcelona for around £25m in 2021, but he has never entirely convinced supporters.
Antonio Conte has never been able to settle on a first-choice right wing-back since he took the Spurs job, although he did sanction the sale of Doherty last month. Spurs replaced the Irishman with Sporting Lisbon's Pedro Porro, perhaps a sign that Emerson's days as a starter are numbered.
Conte knows Tomori's talent well - the pair worked together during Conte's time as Chelsea manager, when a young Tomori took part in some training sessions with the first team.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Tottenham Hotspur, Antonio Conte, Fikayo Tomori, AC Milan