Mauricio Pochettino says Dele Alli is 'happy' at Tottenham despite Barcelona and Real Madrid links

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino is convinced that "happy" Dele Alli will remain at White Hart Lane, despite recent rumours linking him with a big money move to Real Madrid or Barcelona. Meanwhile, the manager said reports linking Tom Carroll with a January move to Swansea are "only rumours", but admitted that the midfielder is struggling to find a place in the starting XI this season.

Alli commited his long-term future to White Hart Lane last September by signing a new deal reportedly worth £55,000 a week ($67,000).

However, the England international has seen his name linked with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid in recent days following an impressive start to the campaign that has seen him score 10 Premier League goals in 19 games.

The Mirror recently reported the two Spanish giants could be ready to battle for the 20-year-old talent, with a figure of around £70m floated.

Even club legend Ossie Ardiles warned of the possibility that Real Madrid and Barcelona could come knocking.

However, Pochettino is convinced that Alli's future lies at White Hart Lane, and the club does not plan to hand him a new pay rise in the near future.

"It is not the moment to talk about this. He is happy. I don't like to talk about rumours," Pochettino said, as quoted by Standard Sport. "It's not a question of improving his contract and salary every few months. He is happy, he is performing well and that is the most important thing.

"He is performing well, scoring a lot of goals and helping the team achieve their objectives. People have been talking about him a lot in the last few weeks and that is fair, because his performances have been fantastic every time he has played."

Elsewhere, Carroll made 30 appearances under Pochettino during the 2015-2016 campaign after returning to White Hart Lane following an impressive spell on loan at Swansea. However, the 24-year-old midfielder has struggled to make any impact this season, being restricted to just one appearance in the Premier League and a further two in the EFL Cup.

The Telegraph reported earlier this week that strugglers Swansea are ready to take advantage of the situation to lure him back to the Liberty Stadium in a £8m deal.

Asked about those reports, Pochettino said, as quoted by TalkSport: "You know it's true that we cannot keep all our players, and maybe Tom is not playing and is not too much involved with the team. We see what happens. Today, it's only rumours."