Tottenham Hotspur have been named as one of the leading contenders to sign a midfielder who made a name for himself at the World Cup.

Spurs are looking for cover in midfield during the upcoming summer transfer window. After all, they are currently without Rodrigo Bentancur for the long term due to a serious injury. Therefore, they might need to add another option in his department.

Any new arrival could be competing with the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp for a place in the Tottenham midfield.

Now, some information has filtered through about who the next player to join Spurs in that role might be.

According to report by Italian source Calciomercato, Tottenham are “above all” other Premier League contenders for the signature of Fiorentina midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat.

The 26-year-old was a standout player for Morocco in the World Cup over the winter. He subsequently missed out on a January transfer to Barcelona.

La Liga’s current leaders remain interested in Amrabat, according to the report. However, a move to the Premier League is also a distinct possibility – in which case, Tottenham could be his takers.

Amrabat has played 36 times for Fiorentina in all competitions this season, in which his form has been more up and down than it was in the World Cup.

The Dutch-born star is yet to contribute a goal or assist in 2022-23, although his main role is to protect the defence behind him.

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Sofyan Amrabat ready for next step

There have been signs of resurgence from him recently, though. For the rest of the season, he will be hoping to help take Fiorentina further in the Europa Conference League, while seeing if they can break into the top half of Serie A.

Beyond then, he could have bigger tasks on his agenda at either Tottenham or Barcelona. Each of them are hoping to be in the Champions League next season; in fact, for Barcelona, it looks almost certain to be the case, since they are currently nine points clear at the top of La Liga.

Competing with Barcelona for Amrabat’s signature might be a challenge for Tottenham. However, they will hope to be able to present the positive aspects of their project too.

It remains to be seen how the uncertainty about who their head coach will be next season may affect things. Antonio Conte is unlikely to be in charge of Spurs beyond the current campaign, so Amrabat may have to prove to be appealing to a different Tottenham manager. That is, unless director of football Fabio Paratici wants to go ahead with their pursuit regardless after long-term interest.

Amrabat’s contract with Fiorentina is due to expire at the end of next season. However, they do have an option to extend it for another 12 months. Still, it seems likely he will be moving away from Florence in the months ahead.

It is not yet clear how much it may cost to sign him from La Viola. But Tottenham will undoubtedly be keeping up to date with the latest developments.

Meanwhile, a top source believes James Maddison will no longer be a Leicester player next season – and Tottenham are in the mix to sign him.

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