Tottenham’s plan to sign bargain £17.7m Bundesliga star in trouble as London rivals enter the race

 Manuel Akanji is one of the hottest prospects in European football and has been linked with a move to a number of clubs outside Switzerland. The 22-year-old plays a centre-back for Basel and seems to be a target for Tottenham, according to Swiss outlet Blick.

The report suggests that we are not the only team looking to add the talented defender to our side. West Ham United, Borussia Dortmund and Southampton are also chasing the 22-year-old, who has had a stellar season for his current club.

Basel are into the knockout round of the Champions League and Akanji has played every minute in their European campaign. The 22-year-old has also become a regular for the Swiss national side and that is one reason why Dortmund are leading the chase as they want to sign the player up in the winter window.

The report claims that the Bundesliga side have already tabled a bid worth €15m but Basel are holding out for €20m (£17.7m).

We might be looking to sign the next big talent in defence and a bidding war could start not only with Dortmund but with the other Premier League sides too, especially with Akanji looking to cement his place in the Swiss side ahead of the World Cup.

Another Quality Talent Heading To Tottenham?

Akanji is rated as one of the best young defenders in the world and it should come as no surprise that a number of clubs are after him. The 22-year-old does have a couple of goals to his name but he also has a lot of potential to grow and become one of the most dominant defenders in the years to come.

We already hit gold with Davinson Sanchez at the start of the season and tying down this player would add a lot of quality to our defence.

Akanji can certainly grow into one of the best in the world under Mauricio Pochettino and with the future of Toby Alderweireld still up in the air, the Swiss youngster could be our man for the future.