Tottenham are reportedly in a battle with two German clubs for the signature of Freiburg forward Maximilian Philipp (the Sun). The 23-year-old has been subjected to transfer interest from Spurs, but we are not alone in the race. It has emerged that RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund are also keen on the player. This makes it doubly hard for manager Mauricio Pochettino to sign the player, as the striker may have a preference to stay in a country where he has played throughout his career. The striker will also be aware that a move to Tottenham will effectively make him a backup to Harry Kane. Even then, Spurs will need to hurry up with a formal offer in order to have a chance of signing the player.
Philipp came through the ranks at clubs like Hertha Berlin before joining Freiberg as a youngster. He made his professional debut with Energie Cottbus II, but he has been with Freiberg since 2013. His appearance in the German Bundesliga came in the 2014 season. Philipp was only 20 years old when he made his debut in the Bundesliga. Since then, he has featured in 50 appearances at the top level while managing to score 10 goals. Nine of these goals came in the 2016-17 season, as he seems to have come of age.
Mauricio Pochettino is searching for a backup to Harry Kane, as he is clearly aware that Spurs cannot go into another campaign with complete reliance only upon the England striker. Kane managed to finish the campaign with a whopping 29 goals and ended up lifting the Golden Boot award for a second consecutive season. Yet, the England star will not be able to carry the team across four different competitions next season. Vincent Janssen continues to struggle for form, and he may be allowed to leave the club in the summer.
Philipp, though, is also attracting the attention of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig for various reasons. Dortmund are on the lookout for a new forward in order to act as a backup for Marco Reus, who has been going through a disappointing period with regard to injuries. After finishing in the second spot just behind Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig are keen to build for the 2017-18 season. Due to the Champions League commitments, the club are looking to add numbers to the squad in several areas of the pitch.
Spurs reportedly value the player at around £10 million, but it would be interesting to see if this would be enough to sign a player, who has a contract with Freiberg until June 2019.
