Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino pondering move for Schalke defender Benedikt Howedes

Tottenham are reportedly interested in signing defender Benedikt Howedes from Bundesliga club Schalke in the summer.

According to the Mirror, Mauricio Pochettino has made it a priority to strengthen his defence during the upcoming transfer window after seeing his side concede a plethora of goals this season.

The Argentine manager did bring in three defenders last summer in Eric Dier, Federico Fazio and Ben Davies, but apart from the former, the other defenders have failed to impress at White Hart Lane.

Even Younes Kaboul, who was handed the captaincy by Pochettino, has failed to meet expectations and swiftly lost his place in the team, with the manager preferring Jan Vertonghen and Dier as his first-choice centre backs.

Spurs have shipped in 45 goals this season, and only Newcastle United, Burnley, Queens Park Rangers and Leicester in the Premier League have conceded more goals this campaign.

This has prompted Pochettino to scour the market for able replacements and he has identified the German World Cup winner as the perfect backup for his current first choice pairing.

Howedes, has been impressive for Schalke in recent seasons, and despite having two years left on his contract, the report claims that the north London club can sign him for a fee of around £13m.

The German has also hinted that he would like to play in the Premier League in the future, thus giving hopes to interested clubs in England.

However, Tottenham are not the only club interested in the player and will face competition from arch rivals Arsenal, who are also keen on bringing the German to the Emirates Stadium.

Apart from Howedes, Spurs are also tracking Cologne defender Kevin Wimmer, and the player has admitted his desire to join the Premier League club, but the matter regarding the amount of the transfer fee is yet to be resolved between the two clubs.