Tottenham eye Argentina under-20 wonderkid and could sign striker for just £12m as Kane exit looms

Tottenham have scouted fast-rising Argentine striker Alejo Veliz and could sign the Rosario Central forward for around £12 million as talks continue between the two clubs.

The 19-year-old made his mark with the Argentina under-20 team during the FIFA under-20 World Cup earlier this year, scoring on his debut in a 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan. Three days later he scored again in a 3-0 win against Guatemala.

Italian side AC Milan were reported to be leading the race for his signature but Tottenham moved fast and sources say Spurs have already made a bid - even though it is below the £12 million Rosario Central valuation.

Sources have added that Tottenham are willing to loan him back to the Argentine club until January if a deal is agreed as he’s viewed as a long-term project with manager Ange Postecoglou reportedly approving the entire deal.

Italian side Torino have also had a bid in the region of £6million rejected as Spurs take the lead on one of South America’s highly sought-after forwards in this summer's transfer window.

Tottenham have signed James Maddison from Leicester and Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli but their transfer window, as has been the case in the last few years, will be defined by whether striker Harry Kane, strongly linked with German side Bayern Munich, snubs the interest and stays at the club this season.

Kane is in the final year of his contract in north London and even though he’s not given any indication of signing a new deal in north London, he has remained professional, travelling with the team to Australia, Singapore and Thailand for their pre-season tour.

The risk for Spurs though is that he could stay for the next 12 months and walk away for free. German newspaper BILD claims Bayern are willing to throw everything at getting their target or wait and agree on a pre-contract with him in January.

Spurs have games against Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona before beginning their Premier League campaign away at Brentford.