Fabrizio Romano reveals Tottenham’s true priority in the January transfer window.

Tottenham Hotspur will look to add a defender and a midfielder when the transfer window opens in January next year, according to eminent journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Antonio Conte spent to the tune of £150 million this summer as Spurs were supposed to challenge the monopoly of Liverpool and Manchester City. They had a good start but inconsistency and injury issues held them back as they have slipped down the pecking order.

They somehow managed to sneak into the Champions League knockout stages but Conte is not satisfied with the current scenario and would seek the help of the transfer market.

The North Londoners have not had ideal situations as far as their defense is concerned as the likes of Eric Dier and Ben Davies haven’t been at their best. Conte did bring Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona but the French defender is poised to return to Spain when his loan spell finishes.

Spurs have been monitoring the progress of Kim Min-Jae who has hogged all the limelight since his arrival at Napoli. The South Korean defender has been linked with almost all the major clubs but the Italian club is likely to reject all kinds of advances this January.

Stefan de Vrij is another candidate who is being eyed by Conte. The Dutch defender is pretty familiar with Conte’s system, having played under him during Inter Milan’s title-winning campaign. His current contract will expire next summer and the North Londoners might have to shell out a meager fee in a bid to land the player in January.

Conte has turned to his native country as he continues to look out for a midfielder worthy of putting on the Spurs shirt. Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi and Juventus’ Weston McKennie have entered the fray and the club will assess their options once they receive the green signal from the manager.  Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have commanded complete authority but there hasn’t been enough competition for them within the squad and that’s the reason the Italian wants the adequate cover to be brought in.

Fabrizio Romano said, “I think the real focus will be on a midfielder and a centre-back. A striker depends on the opportunities, but of course they also have Richarlison, they invested in Richarlison in the summer.”