Journalist Fabrizio Romano has all but ruled out the possibility of Tottenham Hotspur signing Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan this month.
The Lowdown: Inter want to sell
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the player's current club want to sell the player this month before the transfer window ends.
The Premier League side is reported to be keeping an eye on the situation, but Antonio Conte's team faces competition as another report from Italy has claimed that Paris Saint-Germain is lining up a bid for Skriniar.
The 27-year-old is entering his sixth year with Inter. He's played 242 times for the Italian side and produced 11 goals in his time there.
The Latest: Romano makes Skriniar transfer claim
Romano spoke on The Last Word On Spurs about the possibility of the player heading to Tottenham this month. He claimed that PSG will sign Skriniar.
He stated (8:11), "I think this month it's almost impossible, but I think Skriniar will play for Paris Saint-Germain next season.
"This is the feeling around the player, this is the feeling of Inter, so I think it's gonna be very difficult also for Tottenham to match the proposal.
"It's a really, really important contract, it's more than 9 million euros net per season, so I think it's unrealistic."
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The Verdict: A new centre-back needed
We believe that the centre-back position is certainly an area of concern for Spurs. They should look to rectify that issue before the January transfer window closes.
This season the defence has come under criticism. Indeed, last month pundit Steve Nichol blamed Conte for their defensive woes in their 2-2 draw with Brentford on Boxing Day.
He said to ESPN, "You have to point the finger at Conte. This has happened too often for it not to be him, sending his team out with pretty much a conservative mindset."
Only five clubs in the league have conceded more goals than Tottenham this season, so simply leaving the issue until the summer could potentially hinder their chances of a spot in the top four.
Spurs should look to bring in a centre-back that's similar to Skriniar, in the form of someone who has experience playing football at a high level.
However, that'll be hard to come by and it could cost a lot of money to sanction that sort of transfer. And, Tottenham are not known for splashing hefty fees on players in the past.