The £27m stunning defender who Spurs must make their first summer signing

At the time of writing, Tottenham Hotspur have three senior centre-backs at their disposal, provided you don’t include loanees Eric Dier, Joe Rodon, and Ashley Phillips in that tally. They also have just two senior right-backs, Djed Spence notwithstanding, and one of those is the seemingly exit-bound Emerson Royal. Common sense dictates that they should probably be looking to sign reinforcements this summer.

It is difficult to properly pinpoint the moment at which Spurs’ title race ambitions began to unravel last season, but certainly the defensive injury crisis that befell them partway through the campaign did little to help their cause. Rendered threadbare and rickety, Ange Postecoglou’s side fell off the pace somewhat, and ever since then, talk has turned to how they could look to strengthen during the summer transfer window.

Attentions have evidently shifted internally too. Already there have been plenty of rumours linking Tottenham with fresh faces and canny acquisitions, and in amongst the speculative throng is Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida.

According to a report from Dutch outlet AD, Spurs are one of several clubs monitoring the situation of the 23-year-old, with Liverpool, Newcastle United, and West Ham also said to be keen. For his part, Geertruida - who is capable of playing on the right side or in the centre of a back four, as well as occasionally as a defensive midfielder - has one year left on his contract in the Netherlands, and is widely expected to leave Feyenoord between now and the end of the summer.

As per AD, the Dutch international came within a whisker of joining RB Leipzig in a £27 million deal last year, only for the deal to collapse at the eleventh hour. The understanding is that his asking price will be lower now given the relative shortness of his contract, but his current employers are still expected to demand a hefty sum for a player who regularly sports the captain’s armband, and who scored eight goals and assisted five more across 34 Eredivisie outings last term.

Indeed, price aside, the biggest obstacle Spurs are likely to face is the competition of Liverpool’s apparent interest. With former Feyenoord manager Arne Slot now in the dugout at Anfield, there is an obvious connection and working relationship waiting to be rekindled with Geertruida, and that could give the Reds a considerable advantage in their bid to sign the defender, if they decide to firm up their pursuit.

But by no means is this a lost cause, and if Spurs can somehow edge ahead of their Premier League rivals in the race to secure Geertruida’s signature, they could pull of a real coup. The Dutchman is a talent of obvious quality only just entering the prime of his career, and his composure in possession, his superb footballing brain, and his undeniable versatility would make him a real asset for any club with Champions League qualification ambitions.

Make no mistake, it won’t be an easy agreement to reach, but if Spurs act swiftly and are willing to put in the hard yards, they could go a long way towards solving their lingering lack of defensive strength in depth.