European club panicking Tottenham are now on verge of hijacking their top target

Tottenham Hotspur‘s summer under Roberto De Zerbi is already shaping up to be one of the most significant overhauls the club has seen in years.

The window has barely been open a week, but after back-to-back 17th-placed finishes, Spurs know that tinkering around the edges simply isn’t an option, with immediate moves made to strengthen the spine of their defence.

Andy Robertson arrived on a free transfer from Liverpool, with Marcos Senesi following suit from Bournemouth just days later.

Then came the window’s first big-money move – a £52m deal for Jan Paul van Hecke, reuniting De Zerbi with the centre-back he worked with so closely at Brighton.

Spurs conceded the most goals of the 17 teams who remained in the top flight last season, so an injection of proven Premier League experience was needed, but they have also begun making plans to shift some of the deadwood.

Yves Bissouma has been released while Cristian Romero is expected to depart and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s future also looks uncertain, amid reported interest from Inter Milan.

The future of Micky van de Ven has also come under scrutiny this week, but Fabrizio Romano reports Spurs have no intentions of selling the Dutchman amid links to Liverpool and Barcelona.

Attention now turns to midfield, and Spurs have moved back into the driving seat for a player De Zerbi has already spoken very highly of.

Sporting panicking with Spurs back in pole position for midfielder

According to reports in Portugal, via Sport Witness, Sporting CP are facing the prospect of losing both of their top targets in midfield this summer.

The main man on their list is Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha, who spent last season on loan at Tottenham.

Sporting were thought to be closing in on a deal for the Portuguese star, who was even willing to lower his salary demands to move back home, but Spurs have now moved back in front.

This puts Sporting in a troublesome position, with their other target, Real Betis midfielder Sergi Altimira, getting closer to RB Leipzig.

Palhinha, for his part, had expressed a desire to stay put in North London last season, also drawing praise from De Zerbi for his role in keeping the Lilywhites up.

“100 per cent I want to keep him,” the Italian said. “We need reliable people and reliable players, Palhinha is one of the best.

“I want to see the players same passion, spirit, personality.”

The 30 year-old played 33 times in the league last term, and scored twice in the final five games of the season, both of which were winners in 1-0 victories.

Spurs have been clever in rebuilding on the cheap so far this summer, and a move for Palhinha, who is thought to cost around £25m this summer, would allow them to spend big on a player like Sandro Tonali.

Tonali’s agents have shared an update on his future this week.