Tottenham plotting €45m move for Rio 2016 Olympics star

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a deadline day move for Schalke midfielder Max Meyer as Mauricio Pochettino looks to add another creative outlet to his squad before the close of the transfer window at 11pm BST on Wednesday (31 August).

According to German publication Bild, the north London club are prepared to part with €45m (£38.1m, $50.1m) to bring the German midfielder to White Hart Lane. Spurs are keen to add more creativity to their midfield after struggling to break down teams at the start of the new Premier League campaign. They have won one game and drawn two of their opening three games, the victory coming due to a late goal from Victor Wanyama.

Meyer has been impressive since breaking into the Schalke senior team in 2103 but really caught the eye this summer when he led the Germany U23 team to the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Rio. The 20-year-old scored four goals in six games, which has attracted interest from the Premier League side, who are said to be offering €8m per year in wages to move to England.

The Germany international can operate all across the midfield, but is primarily an attacking midfielder, who prefers to play behind the main striker. Tottenham have been pretty quiet in the transfer market compared to other clubs bringing in just two players —Wanyama and Vincent Janssen. They are expected to confirm a move for Marseille attacker Georges Kevin-Nkoudou, while pulling out of the race for Moussa Sissoko, after hearing Newcastle United's hefty valuation was said to be around £30m.

Schalke, however, will be reluctant to let another of their key stars leave the club this summer after Leroy Sane departed for Manchester City, especially since it is late in the transfer window, when they cannot bring in a replacement. They have signed Yevhen Konoplyanka on loan from Sevilla, but the Ukrainian is expected to fill the void left by Sane.