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Moussa Sissoko is suddenly one of the stars of the richly cinematic Tottenham show. It's not quite a rags to riches tale but the scale of his transformation in north London is unrivalled.

Suddenly he is one of the first names on the teamsheet; the beating heart of Tottenham's midfield; a fundamental cog in the system.

Mauricio Pochettino has a string of fine individuals who are all capable of slotting in alongside him to form either a two or three man midfield, including Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp.

Yet the multitude of options available to the Argentine are doing nothing to deter the club's interest in signing a new creative midfielder this summer.

Links with Jack Grealish in recent times have arrived at a regularity the London tube system would be proud of, but the 23-year-old is not being considered in isolation.

Indeed, according to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Spurs are one of the clubs monitoring Julian Brandt's situation at Bayer Leverkusen. The existence of a £21.5 million release clause is a factor that will plaster a wry smile on Daniel Levy's face and quench his insatiable thirst for a hard bargain.

Meanwhile, according to a recent report from the Daily Mirror, Grealish's release clause is about as enticing as a trip to the Europa League final in Baku at a whopping £60 million.

Both players have the potential to blossom into top Premier League footballers at Tottenham but, considering their respective statistics and release clauses, there's no question the Germany international should be the priority this summer.

A quick glance at the statistics reveals the endeavours of two players with similar contributions in the attacking third. The most pertinent difference to note, however, is that Grealish has been playing second tier football while Brandt has been thriving in the Bundesliga.

Leverkusen's creative hub has undergone something of a stylistic transformation this season, moving infield from the left wing to operate as a play-making central midfielder, a transition which has been both seamless and eye-catching.

At Tottenham - where Sissoko provides the engine and anticipation to break up play and simultaneously offer a dynamic style of dribbling to dissect the opponent - Brandt could slot in alongside the Frenchman in a three man midfield which incorporates one of Winks, Dier or Wanyama in a holding role.

It would be a perfect blend of power, precision, incision, speed and ingenuity to supplement the strengths of both Brandt and Sissoko.

Grealish, of course, is attracting interest from the Champions League finalists on solid grounds, but his statistics do not vindicate a release clause which is almost three times more than a player who kept Leroy Sane out of Joachim Lowe's Germany World Cup squad last year.

Pochettino could add a serious layer of quality to his midfield with a summer swoop for Brandt.