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Tottenham have opened talks with Sampdoria over a bid for defender Joachim Andersen, per Calciomercato.

Spurs are interested in reinforcing their defence this summer and have targeted a move for the centre-back.

What's the word?

The aforementioned report claims that Spurs have spoken with Sampdoria about the prospect of securing a deal to sign Andersen this summer.

The 22-year-old has a contract that runs until 2022 but Calciomercato state that he could be sold in the next transfer window.

Spurs are reported to be ready to pay €25million (£21.9m) to sign Andersen, who has been capped at numerous youth levels by Denmark. He has won 16 caps for the Under-21s but is yet to make his senior debut.

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Nevertheless, Andersen has played 90 minutes in every Serie A game this season bar one, a 2-1 loss to Juventus for which he was suspended.

The report claims that there is also interest from Juve and Inter Milan and that Sampdoria will hope to secure a higher bid from Spurs than they would from their compatriots.

Youth is king

Spurs only enter the transfer market for the right player and it appears that youth is central to Mauricio Pochettino's thinking.

The last centre-back the club signed, Davinson Sanchez, was 21 when he moved to Spurs in 2017 and the club forked out a record fee to secure his signature, paying Ajax £42m.

A similar scenario has emerged with Andersen, as Spurs again look to pick up a youthful centre-back with the potential to become a key player under Pochettino.

Toby Alderweireld has a clause in his contract that will allow him to leave this summer if the club receive a bid worth £25m and that money could well fund their pursuit of Andersen.

It would also allow for a reduction in playing time for Jan Vertonghen, who will turn 32 in April.

Chairman Daniel Levy is likely to see the resale potential in Andersen, too, who could later fetch double what Spurs may pay for him if he takes to the Premier League in the same vein as Sanchez.