Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly yet to make their first offer for Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, despite the ongoing speculation surrounding the Dutch defender.
The 22-year-old is understood to have been identified as one of Ange Postecoglou's top targets to reinforce the Spurs backline ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Liverpool have also been credited with an interest in Van de Ven, but Tottenham are reportedly at the head of the queue for the Netherlands Under-21 international.
Van de Ven is already said to have reached an agreement on personal terms with Tottenham over a five-year deal, and a fee of £30m could be enough to satisfy Wolfsburg.
However, the Evening Standard reports that Niko Kovac's side are still waiting for the Lilywhites to make their move, although Spurs are still confident of winning the race.
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Wolfsburg paid just €3.5m (£3m) to sign Van de Ven in the summer of 2021, but the Dutchman played just five games during a challenging debut campaign.
The former Volendam youth product enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in the Wolfsburg backline during the 2022-23 season, though, registering one goal and two assists from 33 Bundesliga outings.
Van de Ven - who stands at 6ft 4in tall - played every minute of the Netherlands Under-21s recent Euro 2023 campaign, as Jong Oranje drew with Georgia, Portugal and Belgium to exit at the group stage.
The 22-year-old could soon become Spurs' fifth signing of the summer window, as the Lilywhites have already secured permanent deals for Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison.
Postecoglou's team are also said to have struck an agreement with Manor Solomon, who is able to leave Shakhtar Donetsk on a free transfer this summer after FIFA extended a ruling allowing Ukraine-based players to suspend their deals during the Russian invasion.
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Solomon is poised to sign a four-year deal with Tottenham with the option of another 12 months, and the Lilywhites are said to be after another centre-back once Van de Ven's arrival is confirmed.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently revealed that talks with Tottenham were ongoing over a permanent move for Clement Lenglet, who spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan in North London, and there is confidence that an agreement will be struck.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo and Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba are also understood to be on Tottenham's radar, ahead of the expected departures of a couple of existing defenders.
Davinson Sanchez is expected to head for the exit door after a challenging campaign, with Villarreal understood to be weighing up an approach for the Colombia international, while Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga's long-term futures are also shrouded in uncertainty.
Eric Dier's contract is due to expire in 2024, and there have been suggestions that the centre-back could be sold this summer or leave on a free next year, but he apparently intends to stay and fight for his place under Postecoglou.
Ben Knapton
