Tottenham and Aston Villa are reported to be battling it out with Italian side Lazio for the signing of Lyon’s Miralem Pjanic.

The 21-year-old is expected to leave the French side this summer after a series of superb performances in Ligue 1.

Spurs were the reported favourites to secure the Bosnia and Herzegovina International’s signature as they see Pjanic as an ideal replacement for want-away midfielder Luka Modric.

However, they face stiff competition from Villa and Lazio for the £10m rated star.