According to Sport BILD, Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho hopes to beat a number of European rivals to sign Marcel Sabitzer from RB Leipzig.

What's the word?

The 26-year-old is expected to leave RB Leipzig in the summer and has attracted plenty of interest from the Premier League.

Leipzig sporting director Markus Krosche recently said: "He has made a great development. It goes without saying that other clubs also notice this.

“I don’t like singling out anyone individually. But Marcel Sabitzer has really developed well.

“I also deal with him outside of the field. He accepts the role of captain extremely well and has matured even further as an individual.”

Several English clubs have watched Sabitzer, 26, including bitter rivals Arsenal.

But Spurs boss Mourinho is reportedly in pole position to win the race for his services and he may be able to offer the midfielder Europa League, or even Champions League football, next season.

Get it done

They may be braced for disappointment, however, as there remains a lot of work for Daniel Levy to do between now and the end of the season, even though the player has previously suggested that he would like to play in the Premier League.

Spurs' interest in Sabitzer is one of the worst-kept secrets in football, and the fierce speculation linking him to a move away from Leipzig has previously been addressed by the Austrian himself.

“I have been able to play in England a few times, including with the national team. I was thrilled by the atmosphere in the stadium. How the spectators read the game and celebrate the individual scenes, the fans really know about football.

“There was sometimes a tackle celebrated, sometimes a diagonal ball. I like to watch the Premier League and imagine that playing there is fun.”

Sabitzer has scored six goals, and recorded the same number of assists, across his 27 appearances in all competitions this season.

The Leipzig midfield dynamo has averaged an impressive 1.8 shots and 1.1 key passes per game in the Bundesliga, which ranks him favourably when you compare him to Mourinho's current options in the Premier League. Of them all, only Erik Lamela comes close to matching his efforts with 1.1 shots per 90, while only Son Heung-min betters his key passing ratio out of the entire Spurs squad.

Former Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick has hailed Sabitzer's development as a “leader” as truly “remarkable.”

Spurs have often been criticised for having a soft underbelly but his fine positional sense of awareness means Sabitzer boasts a WhoScored strength of 'defensive contribution' to go with his strong ability to hold onto the ball, which could help address this issue.

With his wide range of passes, coupled with his defensive strengths, and his versatility being an added bonus, he seems exactly like the type of player who Mourinho would absolutely love to get his hands on.

Mourinho, therefore, must push Levy to sanction a swoop for Sabitzer in the summer. It's too good an opportunity to miss.

AND in other news, Giovani Lo Celso injury blow confirmed by Jose Mourinho before West Ham clash...