Sky Sports journalist Manuele Baiocchini has now made a promising Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving central defensive target Sven Botman.

The Lowdown: Bastoni alternative?

Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni was a top target for Spurs manager Antonio Conte but both the Italian and club chief Fabio Paratici were dealt a major blow on Wednesday afternoon.

The player's agent confirmed that he seems set to stay at the San Siro with it now seeming like the Lilywhites must turn to alternatives if they wish to back Conte ahead of his first full Premier League season.

One of these possible targets is thought to be Lille star Botman who has been attracting serious interest from Newcastle United, Manchester United and AC Milan.

The Latest: Baiocchini shares promising update...

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Sky Italy reporter Baiocchini, sharing news on Twitter, has made a promising claim involving Spurs - going on to state that the north Londoners have emerged as 'stronger and stronger' contenders for Botman.

This comes as Milan fall behind in the race to sign Ligue 1's sensation but Tottenham will still face competition from Newcastle and The Red Devils.

The Verdict: Battle on?

Still just 22-years-old, Botman has been a colossal defensive presence for Lille in the French top flight - making more clearances per 90 than anyone in their squad (WhoScored).

He also finished 2021/2022 as their third-best performer by average match rating, just behind star men Renato Sanches and Benjamin Andre (WhoScored).

The in-form Dutchman could also leave his current club for the very reasonable price of €40 million (£34m), potentially marking Botman out as a real standout alternative to Bastoni.

In other news: 'Better and better' - Insider says Tottenham could make announcement 'in the coming days'...find out more here.