The battle between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur to sign Sporting midfielder Manuel Ugarte today gets a very good update from the Portuguese media.

Newspaper A Bola features a full-page story explaining how the two Premier League clubs are in a fierce fight to get the 22-year-old signed.

The outlet writes that even though Aston Villa tried to ‘take the lead’ in the race for Ugarte, Tottenham ‘nearly immediately counter-attacked’, and the clubs now stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ competing for him.

A Bola claims this isn’t even an auction, because there’s a price set for the midfielder to leave Sporting. That’s the €60m in his release clause.

The newspaper insists that will be matched, saying the transfer should be closed in the days following the end of the season, as the negotiations are ‘very advanced’. But it seems both Aston Villa and Tottenham have the chance to win the battle.

In case both clubs hit €60m, then it seems it’ll be a matter of who’ll make Ugarte a more attractive offer. With A Bola mentioning the possibility of a conclusion next week, perhaps we won’t have to wait long to know the winners.

READ MORE: Levy steps up Spurs move for 4-2-3-1 Slot alternative, he’d be an “outstanding” pick – opinion

Spurs: Levy stepping up Julian Nagelsmann’s interest

The German coach may not be out of the running just yet…

Tottenham Hotspur is reportedly still considering alternatives to the leading managerial candidate, Arne Slot, according to the latest reports.

What’s the latest in Tottenham’s manager search?

As per speculation in Spain, the Lilywhites are reportedly accelerating their interest in out-of-work boss, Julian Nagelsmann, with the German said to be the ‘great favorite’ of Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy.

This surprise revelation comes following reports earlier this month that suggested the 35-year-old was no longer in the running to be named as the permanent successor to Antonio Conte, having emerged as an early frontrunner prior to that.

Equally, this claim also comes amid the rampant speculation that the aforementioned Slot is set to be the subject of an approach from the north London outfit, with the Dutchman having only recently guided Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title.

In his absence, the Bavarian giants – who had enjoyed a perfect record in the Champions League this term with eight wins from eight prior to Nagelsmann’s sacking – have since crashed out of Europe under Thomas Tuchel’s watch and are currently behind rivals Borussia Dortmund in the title race, potentially proving that the decision to part ways with the Tottenham target may have been misguided.

The highly-coveted tactician – who had also been linked with a move to Chelsea in recent months – still appears to have admirers back at Bayern, with midfield maestro Joshua Kimmich hailing him as an “outstanding coach” and ranking his compatriot among the “top three” of his “best coaches” in his playing career.

The 4-2-3-1 boss has warranted such glowing praise having won the league title and two German Super Cups during his time as a manager thus far, while also previously making his mark while at Leipzig after reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2020.

While much has been made of Slot’s progressive style and full-throttle approach – having been described as a “maniac” by Van der Kraan – Nagelsmann too is also a figure who likes his teams to play on the front foot, with the man himself has previously stated:

“I like to attack the opponents near their own goal because your own path to the goal is not as long if you get the ball higher up.”

That attacking, aggressive philosophy would likely be appealing to the likes of Levy – who has previously stated his aim to see “free-flowing” football at N17 – hence just why it would be an ‘outstanding’ decision to keep Nagelsmann under consideration.

Would Nagelsmann be a good appointment for Tottenham?

While all the talk is centered around that man Slot at present – with the 44-year-old lauded for his “ultra-attacking” style, as per journalist Marcel van der Kraan – it would be foolish to discount the qualities of Nagelsmann, if the former Bayern Munich man is still among the candidates for the role.

Although the up-and-coming coach was only recently dismissed from his post at Allianz Arena back in March, that had come despite the one-time RB Leipzig boss having lost just three games in all competitions this season prior to that.