Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to monitor RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Long-standing interest

The Premier League giants have held a long-standing interest in the centre-back for two years, having first been credited with an admiration back in 2020 during his time at Dinamo Zagreb.

Marco Rose’s side won the race for his signature, and despite the 20-year-old’s name once again cropping up in the capital over the summer, he has recently put pen to paper on a new deal at the Red Bull Arena.

This contract is set to run until 2027, but is believed to have a £44m release clause included.

The Latest: Tottenham scouting Gvardiol

According to Football Insider, Spurs are ‘closely monitoring’ Gvardiol, and are ‘stepping up their pursuit’ after Fabio Paratici sent scouts to watch him in action during Leipzig's Champions League 2-0 victory over Celtic on Tuesday.

It’s stated that Chelsea are also ‘keeping close tabs’ on the Croatian, and are looking to sign him alongside his teammate Christopher Nkunku.

Leeds United are similarly keen on a deal, though it’s claimed that he will only be tempted by a switch to an ‘elite European club’.

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The Verdict: Get it done…

Tottenham obviously aren’t ready to give up the chase for Gvardiol, and the fact that they have been after him for so long shows how highly they think of him.

An ‘aggressive’ defender, according to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, he also averages an 89.5% pass success rate in the Bundesliga and is a versatile player, with the ability to operate at left-back as well as centrally.

Antonio Conte will see this attribute as extremely valuable given the need to eventually find a successor for Ben Davies at left-centre-back, and Gvardiol’s release clause is more than reasonable.