Tottenham are reportedly about to go head-to-head with struggling Chelsea in the race for Zenit midfielder Axel Witsel as the January transfer window springs into life.
Witsel was supposedly a Spurs target in the summer, with the Belgian keen to move, however the Russian giants were less than pleased with the idea of one of their star players leaving and so blocked his exit.
Despite this, the former Benfica man still has his sights set on a move away from Russia, preferably to a club with Champions League football, which could favour Tottenham as the North Londoners look well set for a top four finish.
One stumbling block which could again prevent the transfer though is likely to be Zenit’s asking price. The Belgium international moved to Saint Petersburg for £30 million and the club will want to recoup as much of that as possible should they allow Witsel to leave.
This would be in conflict of the Lilywhite’s transfer policy of developing young talent and nurturing them into the first team as is evident with Dele Alli.
But with a cherished Champions League place at stake, Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino may be willing to break their model and move for the 26 year-old who would bring dynamism and strength-in-depth to a relatively inexperienced and young midfield.
