According to reports in The Independent, Tottenham Hotspur left-back Danny Rose could be a target for Premier League rivals Manchester United before the summer transfer window shuts at the end of this month.
The Independent says that Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho is growing frustrated in his attempts to bring Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic or Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale to the club, with United unwilling to match the £48m valuation for the former and their pursuit of the latter dependent on Real’s interest in Monaco teenager Kylian Mbappe.
It means that the Portuguese boss could switch his attentions to Rose, with the England international able to play the left wing-back role as The Independent says that United could play three at the back in the upcoming campaign.
Spurs certainly won’t want to lose the 27-year-old having already sold Kyle Walker to Manchester City last month, but that move does suggest that every player has their price.
If Rose does leave for United then Mauricio Pochettino will need to find a new left-back to compete with Ben Davies.
Here are four players Tottenham could sign to replace Rose if he does leave…
Ryan Bertrand
The Southampton left-back has established himself as one of the best in his position in the Premier League and for his country over the course of the last few seasons at St Mary’s.
Having found first team football hard to come by with Chelsea, Bertrand decided to join the south coast outfit and he has gone on to show that he has all of the attributes a modern day full-back needs.
While he is strong defensively – he made 64 clearances and 47 interceptions in 28 Premier League appearances last season – he also showed how effective he can be going forward by creating 27 chances and providing four assists.
If Tottenham were to lose one England international in Rose, they would certainly be getting a reliable replacement for him in another in Bertrand, but Saints could be difficult to deal with considering the Virgil van Dijk saga this summer.
Jonas Hector
Considering that he has 33 caps and three goals for Germany and has been a key defender for the world champions over the course of the last few years, it is perhaps a surprise that Hector plays for FC Cologne and is yet to play for one of the bigger clubs in Bundesliga or elsewhere in Europe.
The 27-year-old has been with the German outfit for the last seven years and he continues to be an impressive and consistent performer.
Hector showed his defensive capabilities by making 83 interceptions and 73 clearances in 33 Bundesliga appearances last season, while he also showed his attacking tendencies by creating 37 chances – the most in the Cologne team – picking up two assists in the process.
Luke Shaw
With Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino having already managed Shaw during the duo’s time at Southampton and with Man United now targeting Danny Rose, you do wonder if some sort of swap could be on the cards.
Shaw made his breakthrough at St Mary’s under the leadership of the Argentine manager and he will know just how good the 21-year-old can be both defensively and going forward, even though he has struggled with injury and for form since making the move to Old Trafford in 2014.
The England international still looks to be getting back to full fitness following the devastating double leg break he suffered in September 2015, and he may feel that he has a better chance of rebuilding his career working with Pochettino rather than under Mourinho, who has been particularly critical of him in the past.
Kieran Tierney
If Rose does go and Tottenham want to bring in a highly-rated young player who is ready now but also has huge potential, they should make Tierney one of their top targets.
The 20-year-old has established himself as Celtic’s first-choice left-back and as well as making a huge impact for his club in the Scottish Premiership and in Europe – he impressed against Manchester City in the Champions League last term – he is now a full Scotland international.
Tierney even captained the Bhoys for the first time in their League Cup victory against Kilmarnock on Wednesday, scoring a stunning 40-yard goal.
After scoring two goals and providing a further 12 assists in 40 appearances in all competitions last season, he has shown that he is as effective going forward as he is defensively and he looks to have a massive future ahead of him.
Do you agree, Spurs fans? Let us know below.