Tottenham readying £20m bid for AS Roma striker Mattia Destro

Tottenham are reportedly considering a bid for AS Roma striker Mattia Destro in the ongoing January transfer window.

According to Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato Web, Mauricio Pochettino is monitoring the striker as he is keen to add more fire power to his offensive line up following the struggles of first choice strikers Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor.

The duo have struggled to find the back of the net on a consistent basis this season and have just three goals between them in the Premier League. Thus, leaving the entire burden of scoring goals on young English striker Harry Kane, who has stepped up to the plate and made the starting role his own since the start of the season.

This has led the former Saints manager to enter the transfer market in search of a striker, and Destro has been impressive for the Serie A club, but has struggled to get regular game time under manager Rudi Garcia.

The 23-year-old Italian forward has indicated earlier in the season that he will make a decision regarding his future following the end of the current campaign, but the White Hart Lane outfit are planning to test the Serie A club's resolve with a bid in the region £20m to sign the striker in January.

Apart from the Spurs, the Italian international has also been strongly linked to arch rivals Arsenal, as the striker welcomed rumours linking him with a move to north London.

Meanwhile, Spurs manager Pochettino has defended striker Soldado, following his glaring miss from six yards out during Tottenham's FA Cup replay against Burnley.

The Spaniard has struggled for goals this season, with his goal drought now touching the five-game mark. But the manager is confident that the goals will return and lauded the striker for a good performance despite the miss.

"In football you don't need to apologise, because we are sorry for him because I think he deserved a goal," Pochettino said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

"But in football the actions, maybe it's difficult to explain, but I am happy with his performance and his attitude on the pitch. All he needs to do is to try to be the best he can in every training session, and the goals will arrive," the former Saints boss explained.