Tottenham Hotspur have been linked in The Mirror with Borussia Dortmund vice-captain Marco Reus.
The German has a little over a year left on his contract at Westfalenstadion and is said to be reluctant to commit himself to the club unless he receives reassurances over their transfer-market ambitions.
This has alerted Spurs and they could make a move for the Dortmund hero in the summer.
Reus only returned from a cruciate knee ligament injury in February, which had previously kept him sidelined since May of last year.
In the three Bundesliga appearances that he has made following his comeback, the 28-year-old has netted two goals and looks to be on his way back to his best form.
From Tottenham’s perspective, this is a deal that would constitute a major statement of intent ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
A fantastic dribbler and passer of the ball, Reus’ main quality is arguably his eye for goal; in 225 outings in Germany’s top flight across his career, he has an impressive tally of 94 strikes to his name, despite rarely operating as an out-and-out centre-forward.
The ability he possesses to find the back of the net would take some of the pressure off the talismanic Harry Kane, whilst he would also provide yet another creative outlet to feed the England hitman.
Financially, Spurs would be in a strong negotiating position given that the former Borussia Monchengladbach man’s contract is running into its final 12 months.
As for the player himself, this could be his last chance for a major transfer as he edges ever closer his 30th birthday.
Reus has shown incredible loyalty to Dortmund since joining in 2012, resolutely staying put as stars such as Robert Lewandowski, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have been sold on.
However, the club seem to be slowly regressing over recent campaigns, whereas Tottenham are making progress both domestically and in the Champions League.
Whilst any deal for Reus is still some way off becoming a reality, it would be foolish for the Lilywhites not to make an enquiry if his contract situation is not resolved by the summer.