Tottenham Target AS Roma Striker Mattia Destro

Tottenham Hotspur are set to complete the signing of former Arsenal target Mattia Destro from Italian club AS Roma.

According to the Express, Spurs technical director Franco Baldini is currently in Italy trying to negotiate a deal to bring the forward to White Hart Lane.

Mauricio Pochettino is keen to bring in a striker to lead the line, after the current Spurs forwards Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado struggled for goals during the previous campaign.

Arsenal were linked with a move for Destro during the January transfer window, but have cooled their interest, with Arsene Wenger recently revealing that he is not looking to bring in any more strikers following the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona.

The 23-year-old striker, had an impressive season with the Italian capital club, scoring 13 goals in 20 appearances in the Serie A. But surprisingly, he did not make the 23-man Italy World Cup squad.

Earlier in the summer, the Italian international's agent Renzo Contratto, appreciated the interest from other clubs but said that his client's desire is to stay and become a leader at Roma.

"When a player is sought after by other teams it is always a pleasure," Contratto said, as quoted in the Express.

"This does not mean though that he will leave. Mattia wants to stay in Rome and be a leader for the Giallorossi," he said.

However, according to reports in Italy, the player's stance has changed after Roma captured Argentine forward Juan Iturbe and it is believed that Destro is now open to a transfer with Tottenham and Wolfsburg interested in acquiring the player's services.

The interested clubs will have to shell out a hefty fee to land the striker as the Italian club value him at £20m. It is believed that the former Roma director's presence should help the north London club seal the deal for the coveted striker.