Tottenham Hotspur are apparently one of two Premier League sides hoping to prise talented teenage midfielder Valentin Atangana away from Reims in 2025.
The 19-year-old came through the academy system with Les Rouges et Blancs before being promoted to the first team in 2023, and he has now cemented himself as a regular fixture in midfield.
Atangana has started all 13 of Reims' Ligue 1 fixtures this season, helping his side mount a charge for the European places as they lie ninth in the top-flight table, only five points behind third-placed Marseille.
Atangana is yet to register a goal or assist in 35 senior appearances for his current club, but he has earned plaudits for his exceptional defensive work, largely excelling as a holding midfielder in the embryonic phase of his career.
However, Atangana made his mark on his first two appearances for France's Under-21s earlier this month, scoring on his debut against Italy before winning a penalty for Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel to convert against Germany a few days later.
Spurs to rival Aston Villa for the new Kante?
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According to The Sun, Tottenham are one of a staggering 26 teams to have sent scouts to watch Atangana in action last weekend, where he played 66 minutes in a 2-0 Ligue 1 loss to Lens.
Premier League rivals Aston Villa are also rumoured to be keeping an eye on the 19-year-old's displays, and French media have already likened the Rouges et Blancs product to Premier League and Champions League winner N'Golo Kante.
Kante was an unknown quantity in France before being spotted by Leicester City, where he became an all-conquering Premier League midfielder and played a fundamental role in the Foxes' shock 2015-16 title win before joining Chelsea.
Atangana is still contracted to Reims for another three seasons, although the Ligue 1 outfit may find it difficult to turn down a lucrative financial package from a Premier League club.
Similarly, the midfielder could expect a significant pay rise if he accepted a Premier League contract, although there is every chance that he could remain at Reims on loan before being integrated into the squad of his new club.
Tottenham to repeat Pape Sarr trick with Atangana?
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Tottenham are no strangers to taking punts on talented Ligue 1 midfielders, having paid Metz just over £14m to sign Pape Sarr in 2021, although the Senegal international was loaned back to Les Grenats for one season.
Sarr has since become a vital player for Ange Postecoglou in the middle of the Tottenham park, registering six goals and six assists in 68 matches for Spurs in all competitions, including three efforts and two assists in 19 games this term.
The 22-year-old can likely look forward to regular starts in the Spurs engine room until the New Year, as fellow lynchpin Rodrigo Bentancur is serving a seven-game domestic suspension for an offensive comment made about Son Heung-min and South Koreans.
Sarr - who extended his Spurs contract until 2030 back in January - is expected to be named in the first XI when Tottenham face London rivals Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
Ben Knapton
