Tottenham Target £9m Portuguese Defender as First Team Cover - Report

Tottenham have stepped up interest in Sporting Lisbon defender Tiago Ilori, according to the Mail Online. The report claims Andre Villas-Boas is keen to sign defensive cover for Frenchman Younes Kaboul and Belgian Jan Vertonghen. It is believed the 20-year-old is valued at £8m.

Spurs will face competition though, with Liverpool believed to be interested in the player. However, reports from Portugal say the club will not listen to offers below €10m (roughly £9m)

Meanwhile, the Mail believes AVB is also tracking Steaua Bucharest defender Vlad Chiriches. The 23-year-old Romanian international is also a reported target for Serie A clubs AC Milan and AS Roma.

AVB's biggest headache this summer is Gareth Bale. The Welsh international has increased pressure on chairman Daniel Levy after reports of a world record bid from Spanish giants Real Madrid. White Hart Lane chiefs were set to offer Bale a new contract to keep him in north London but the 24-year-old is believed to be determined to complete a dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

According to the Guardian, Madrid's bid of £86.3 was rejected, threatening to create serious trouble between Bale and his employers. However, the Independent now believes Levy may reconsider the offer if Madrid offers the record fee in cash and adds a player to sweeten the deal; Portuguese left-back Fabio Coentrao is an option, given Spurs have been linked to the former Benfica star before and AVB does need cover in the left-back role.

The longer Bale's situation drags out, the more interested Premier League champions Manchester United are likely to be, with both former boss Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes having expressed an interest in signing the forward.

And the longer Madrid's chase continues, the more experts and pundits will weigh in. Ex-Spurs boss David Pleat spoke to the BBC, saying he feels Bale should stay in England for one more season.

"I think he's a little bit young to go abroad and I doubt he'd find it easy. Many have failed when they have moved overseas. It might be better if he stayed, continued to work and maybe next summer leave if that is his wish," Pleat said.