According to reports in the Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur are keen to sign highly-rated Norwich City attacking midfielder James Maddison before the January transfer window slams shut, although they face competition from Premier League rivals Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City.

The Evening Standard says that the Canaries don't want to sell the 21-year-old having already seen Alex Pritchard join Huddersfield Town in an £11m deal, and they would demand £20m for any club that wanted Maddison this month.

The report suggests that as Spurs have loaned Marcus Edwards to the Championship outfit until the end of the campaign, they could be in pole position to get the former Coventry City man on a permanent deal before also sending him back to Carrow Road on a temporary basis – as they did when they bought Dele Alli from MK Dons in 2015.

While Maddison has been an impressive performer for Norwich this season with seven goals and five assists in 25 league appearances, Brentford's Ollie Watkins has also caught the eye following his £1.8m summer transfer from Exeter City, and bringing the 22-year-old to Wembley could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Tottenham must forget Maddison and sign the forward instead…

His ability

If Brentford thought that Watkins may take a while to adapt to Championship football having made the move from League Two Exeter, they have been proved completely wrong.

The 22-year-old settled into life at Griffin Park immediately and has been one of the most impressive performers in the division this season.

The attacker has scored seven goals and provided a further three assists in 26 league appearances this term, and according to WhoScored.com he has had 87 shots, successfully completed 67 of the 110 dribbles he has attempted, and made 58 key passes – some of the highest numbers in England's second tier.

Versatility

While Maddison usually plays as a central attacking midfielder, Watkins has a bit more versatility about him than his 21-year-old counterpart.

The 22-year-old is able to play on either wing – although he has usually been picked on the left-hand side for Brentford – while he also has the physical attributes, strength and pace to play as a centre-forward too.

Given that Spurs have little competition in wide areas and no one really backing up Harry Kane and Fernando Llorente up top, Watkins could prove to be an interesting addition to their attack considering the raw talent that he has and the fact that he hasn't been fazed by jumping up two divisions.

Price tag

Considering Norwich are reportedly only willing to let Maddison leave for £20m this month, Tottenham would certainly be better off making a move for Watkins, who would be available for a much lower fee than that.

When you compare the two players' statistics this season there is certainly nothing much that suggests that Spurs should sign the Canaries starlet over the 22-year-old, and the more reasonable price tag should convince the north London outfit to forget Maddison and sign Watkins instead.

Do you agree, Spurs fans? Let us know below.