Tottenham have opened talks with Bologna centre-back Takehiro Tomiyasu, as relayed by The Daily Mail.

The Lowdown: Tottenham gear up for 2021/22

Moving into 2021/22, many fans up and down the country will be intrigued to see how the Lilywhites bounce back from a disappointing seventh-placed finish last time out.

Although they have not yet ventured into the transfer market yet as they continue to search for a new manager, Spurs have been heavily linked with moves for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Marcel Sabitzer respectively.

However, they now could be set to notch their first signing of the summer window following recent reports.

The Latest: Tomiyasu opens talks; Spurs confident of striking deal

As it stands, Tottenham have entered discussions about the possibility of bringing Tomiyasu to north London. Believed to be rated at around £15m, he is capable of plying his trade in central defence or at right-back [The Daily Mail].

Wage demands are not said to be an issue, whilst there is an increasing confidence from within the club that the Londoners will land the 1.88m (6 foot 2) stopper swiftly [The Sun].

As Tottenham remain on the lookout for a new manager, he could be in line to be the first recruit of any prospective new regime.

The Verdict: Tomiyasu would be an ideal addition

The 22-year-old defender would appear to fit the profile of signing needed to succeed in north London, particularly with the potential exit of Serge Aurier [The Independent] creating an opening at right-back and the club in the hunt for at least one centre-back if not two [football.london].

In 2020/21, Tomiyasu made 33 appearances for I Rossoblù, scoring twice [Transfermarkt]. Encouragingly, he also illustrated his resolve within the Bologna rearguard by making the joint-most clearances within their entire first team squad, posting 3.3 per match across the season [WhoScored].

Once labelled as ‘promising’ by Italian football analyst Tom Pearce [serieaanalysis.com], he has competed at an elite level, featuring 23 times for the Japanese international side along with his Serie A experience.

With pre-season fast approaching at Enfield Training Centre, Tottenham should look to finalise the deal as swiftly as possible.

In other news, a Tottenham pundit has dropped his verdict on a reported transfer target.