Tottenham draw up transfer shortlist after James Maddison injury blow as two deals eyed

Tottenham have confirmed James Maddison has ruptured his ACL and will be forced to undergo surgery. The attacking midfielder suffered the injury in Sunday's 1-1 friendly draw with Newcastle in Seoul and was stretchered off.

Scans have now confirmed the 28-year-old's season is now all but over as he prepares to go under the knife and begin his long road to recovery. Maddison missed May's Europa League final triumph over Manchester United with a separate knee issue after straining his MCL.

Spurs had already been eyeing a new No.10 for Thomas Frank but their search for attacking reinforcements will now intensify. Last month, Tottenham communicated they were ready to trigger a confidential £60million buy-out clause in Morgan Gibbs-White's Nottingham Forest contract.

However, the transfer fell through after Forest declared they were considering legal action against Spurs and the England international has since penned fresh terms.

Dejan Kulusevski is also expected to miss the first month of the new season after undergoing patella surgery in May. Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss, who netted in a 2-1 win at Spurs in January, is among a list of alternative names being monitored. Aston Villa, Sunderland and Leeds have also made enquiries for the 21-year-old Moroccan.

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Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott has also been tracked but he is valued at an estimated £45m by Liverpool after he was named Player of the Tournament at the U21 Euros as England defended the trophy in Slovakia.

Elliott is currently the subject of talks with RB Leipzig and is viewed as their top target to replace Chelsea-bound Xavi Simons. Liverpool are understood to have indicated their interest in including a buy-back clause, too.

Villa's Jacob Ramsey has also previously attracted admirers at Tottenham but does not appear to be an active target. Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche has been scouted, though primarily featured as a right winger last season.

Interest in Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze cooled earlier this summer and it remains to be seen if that's reignited. So far, there is no substance to links to Real Madrid's Rodrygo, either.

Fabio Paratici, who has a network of contacts across Europe, is poised to be involved in recruitment discussions as he continues to work for Spurs on a consultancy basis.

Brentford's Yoane Wissa remains a player of interest and he wants to leave west London but the Bees are determined to play hardball over a fee after rejecting two bids from Newcastle.

Tottenham looked into signing Wissa in January but were told it wasn't possible, they remain attentive to his situation but there is recognition his best position is operating as a centre-forward, where Spurs are already well-stocked with Dominic Solanke and Richarlison.

There is also an openness to recruiting a new senior centre-back providing Luka Vuskovic is sent on loan. As reported by Mirror Football in mid-June, Hamburg are interested in the Croatian and have now held initial talks over a potential deal.

Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke and Bournemouth's Illia Zabarnyi, wanted by PSG, are appreciated but would both cost premium fees.

Tottenham are reluctant to put a timeframe on Maddison's return and are in the process of finalising young winger Yang Min-hyeok's loan switch to Portsmouth.

Fellow attacker Bryan Gil has also been offered to a number of Italian and Spanish clubs via intermediaries including Bologna.

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