Spurs receive transfer ‘boost’ in £13 million midfielder chase but may miss out on Serie A defender

Ahead of a busy January transfer window, Tottenham have been faced with good and bad news regarding two of their transfer targets. While one of them now appears likely to sign for the north London club, the other now looks somewhat distant.

Spurs are thought to have been in pursuit of a Ukranian midfielder who plays for Atalanta for some time now. Recently, it has come to light that Tottenham’s potential main rivals in the race to acquire his signature have cooled off their interest in him - which could make Tottenham favourites to complete the deal.

Elsewhere, however, Manchester United are said to have registered their intent to sign another of Spurs’ transfer targets. Despite this, United may not make the move until the summer - meaning Spurs could beat them to the punch in January.

Marseille pull out of race to sign Ukrainian midfielder

Tottenham’s hopes of signing Ruslan Malinovskyi have been handed a significant boost after Marseille have reportedly ended their interest in him, according to TMW. Malinovskyi is out of contract in the summer, with his current club, Atalanta, keen to cash in before losing him on a free.

The 29-year-old set piece specialist has been capped 51 times by his native Ukraine, scoring seven goals. Spurs have reportedly submitted a £13 million bid for his services, according to Corriere di Bergamo.

Manchester United interested in Spurs transfer target

Manchester United have recently expressed their interest in signing a Spurs target, Kim Min-jae, according to TMW’s podcast. The 26-year-old currently plays for Napoli, who are top of the Serie A table. This aside, United are unlikely to make the move until the summer - therefore, Spurs could snap him up in January if they act fast.

Napoli themselves are said to be unwilling to let Min-jae go - however, with a release clause of around £44 million, they would be forced to part ways with the South Korean if a club submits a bid that meets this asking price. Napoli are reportedly in contract talks with Min-jae, according to journalist Nicolo Schira on Twitter - a new deal could lead to the removal of the release clause, which would scupper any chances that Spurs or United may have to sign him.