Tottenham can sign Max Meyer this summer for less than half what they offered Schalke last year

Tottenham Hotspur can sign Schalke starlet Max Meyer for just €20m (£17m) this summer – less than half what they offered the German club last summer.

After five seasons in the first team at Schalke, 21-year-old Meyer will enter the final year of his contract this summer and has already admitted he is unsure whether he will extend his stay at the Veltins Arena.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettinio has already seen one attempt at bringing the Germany international to White Hart Lane turned away. Speaking last November, Meyer revealed Schalke had been approached by the Premier League side, only for his club to immediately dismiss the overtures.

"I know there was interest and the club was asked, but Schalke immediately put a stop to it so the matter was settled," Meyer told Sport Bild. "Of course I have dealt with it. I know what I have at Schalke and I like to play for this club."

According to Bild, that offer from Tottenham during the final days of the summer transfer window was worth €45m.

Things have since changed at Schalke, however. Meyer has been criticised by head coach Markus Weinzierl and has started just four Bundesliga games since the turn of the year, with January signings Daniel Caligiuri and Guido Burgstaller leapfrogging him in the pecking order.

Meyer's current contract expires in 2018 but talks over a new deal have stalled, with the club's sporting director Christian Heidel warning the player there will be nothing on the table until his performances improve.

"At the moment it makes no sense to think about it," Heidel was quoted as saying by Bild of contract talks with Meyer. "Max has to convince the coach that he belongs to the first eleven."

Bild now reports Meyer will look to leave the Bundesliga side this summer with Schalke also receptive to the idea of cashing in while they still can. With just 14 months remaining on his contract, the club would settle for an offer of €20m.

It remains to be seen whether Spurs will reignite their interest in Meyer, although it would seem Pochettino is keen to strengthen his attacking options. Everton's Ross Barkley and Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha are on the Argentine's radar, according a report from the Daily Telegraph in March.