Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher remains a Tottenham target; Blues willing to consider offers for the 23-year-old with Tottenham having principles of a deal in place for Gallagher during the summer; Spurs have earmarked Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo as a potential January signing
Friday 22 December 2023 14:57, UK
Tottenham remain interested in Conor Gallagher ahead of the January transfer window, with Chelsea willing to consider offers for the midfielder.
Spurs are understood to have had the principles of a deal in place for Gallagher during the summer but Chelsea opted not to sell him due to his impressive performances around the end of the window, and a lack of viable alternatives in the market.
He has continued to impress under Mauricio Pochettino and has even captained the side on numerous occasions, including in this week's Carabao Cup quarter-final triumph over Newcastle.
Yet Gallagher is about to enter the final 18 months of his contract, there is currently no sign of him signing a new one, and Spurs are monitoring this situation closely.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has stated his priority in January is a new centre-back and Spurs do not have a huge amount of money to spend, but they are also aware of interest in their out-of-favour midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and the potential need for a replacement.
Sky Sports News reported on Wednesday that Juventus are one of the clubs looking at the Denmark international - and one source close to the situation in the summer has even mooted the idea of a Hojbjerg-Gallagher swap deal next month.
Whether or not Chelsea are interested in Hojbjerg is unclear at this stage. However, they are understood to be looking for another defensively-minded midfielder should Gallagher leave the club.
Pochettino has already called for the club to look at the January market and how they can use it to "change the dynamic", after an inconsistent start to the Premier League campaign, which has left them 10th after 17 games.
Tottenham have earmarked Jean-Clair Todibo as a potential January signing.
Todibo is highly regarded and would take a very good offer to tempt Nice to sell in this window after an excellent first half of the season in Ligue 1.
The 23-year-old is one of several defenders the new-look recruitment team at Spurs have discussed and that position remains a priority in January.
Postecoglou told Sky Sports earlier this month that he wants to sign a defender.
He exclusively told Sky Sports: "When you think about it we let Davinson Sanchez go after the window closed. We kind of knew we were taking a bit of a risk; we couldn't get the extra centre-back that we were trying to get in, and for the early part of the year that was fine.
"But once we lost Micky [van de Ven], and Eric Dier's had some issues as well, we don't have another centre-back.
"Young Ash Phillips had just joined the club, so it's fair to say that we can't run the risk of that happening again, so that's obviously a priority for us in January.
"But again, we've got to get the right person. It's not just about bringing another body in, it's about getting the right one in and hopefully that'll happen."
