Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly added Brighton & Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella to their summer shopping list.
The left-hand side of Antonio Conte's 3-4-3 system has been something of a sticky area for the Lilywhites this term, with Sergio Reguilon and Ryan Sessegnon both struggling with injuries.
Sessegnon has tended to win the race over Reguilon to start on the left-hand side when both are fit, but Spurs have been tipped to make improvements in that area in the upcoming market.
Matt Doherty briefly enjoyed a strong stint on the left-hand side for Tottenham, netting in a 5-1 win against Newcastle United before picking up his season-ending knee injury against Aston Villa.
In a bid to solve their problems in the left-wing back area, Sport Witness - via football.london - claims that Cucurella is being eyed up ahead of a potential summer move.
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Graham Potter's side forked out £16.2m to acquire the 23-year-old from Getafe in the summer of 2021, and he has only managed one assist in 32 Premier League games for the Seagulls so far.
Despite his lack of goal contributions, Cucurella's first season in English football has been a successful affair, and he impressed against Spurs in a 1-0 win in North London last month.
Cucurella signed a five-year deal upon his arrival on the South Coast last summer, though, meaning that Brighton are in a strong position to negotiate with his terms not due to expire until 2026.
Brighton are still understood to be bracing themselves for bids for Cucurella after his strong debut campaign in the Premier League, but Tottenham can expect to be quoted at least £30m for his signature.
The Spain international came through the youth ranks at Barcelona but only made one appearance for the senior side before completing a permanent move to Getafe, scoring three goals and providing two assists in 37 La Liga games last season.
Cucurella's versatility has also not gone unnoticed, with the youngster playing as an out-and-out left-back, higher up the pitch in a 3-4-3 or on the left-hand side of a three-man defence, and he was even handed the captain's armband on his debut for Spain in a 4-0 thumping of Lithuania last year.
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Rumours surrounding a potential move for the La Masia graduate come after Potter has supposedly emerged as the favourite to take over at Tottenham if current manager Conte leaves in the summer.
The Italian's future has been called into serious question amid Spurs' inconsistency in the top flight, with the club fifth in the Premier League table and two points behind Arsenal with four games left to play.
Conte confirmed that he planned to stay at Tottenham next season back in March, though, and he recently dismissed links with the Paris Saint-Germain job as "fake news".
As well as Cucurella, Tottenham are expected to be in the market for a new left-sided centre-back and have reportedly sent scouts to watch Villarreal's Pau Torres in action.
The Spurs boss has also more or less confirmed that Dejan Kulusevski will join the club on a permanent deal from Juventus in the summer.
Ben Knapton
