Tottenham Leading the Race to Buy Barcelona Midfielder Alex Song

Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race to secure the services of unsettled Barcelonamidfielder Alex Song, according to reports in France.

New manager Mauricio Pochettino has already signed Michel Vorm, Ben Davies, Eric Dier and DeAndre Yedlin but is still said to be interested in signing a centre-back and a holding midfielder before the end of the transfer window.

And while reports in Spain claim Spurs are on the verge of completing a move for Sevilla centre-back Federico Fazio, French newspaper L'equipe suggests Song could be the chosen one to strengthen the midfield.

Pochettino had earmarked Morgan Schneiderlin as his first choice since the beginning of the summer but with Southampton unlikely to negotiate his departure, the Argentine looks ready to turn his attention to the Barcelona star as a more affordable choice.

The former Arsenal midfielder has been tipped to leave the Nou Camp since the beginning of the summer as he doesn't appear to be in the plans of Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, who left him out of the squad during the La Liga opener against Elche.

Although Barcelona paid around £16m in 2012 to secure Song's services, reports in Spain claim they are now ready to cash-in for as little as £8m.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton have been linked with him in recent months but L'equipe believes Spurs are in pole position to secure his signature, with Olympique Marseille also monitoring the situation.

Song recently stated that should he leave La Liga, his first choice would be a return to England.

"If I leave Barcelona, it will be to return to the Premier League. I will return to England one day, that's for sure," he said.

Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed he is looking for a holding midfielder following Mikel Arteta's recent injury, while Louis Van Gaal is also said to be in the market to strengthen Manchester United's midfield.