Tottenham Hotspur have submitted a late bid for Piero Hincapie, according to reports...

What's the word?

Sport Bild claim that Spurs have made a 'verbal offer' in the region of €25m (£22m) to sign the versatile Bayer Leverkusen defender ahead of Tuesday night's transfer deadline.

It's not the first time that the north Londoners have been linked with a move for the Ecuador international as they were quoted around £34m for him during the summer transfer window, with manager Antonio Conte wanting him prior to Clement Lenglet's temporary arrival.

He could become the third winter signing after Arnaut Danjuma (loan) and Pedro Porro, should the latter make his way through the door in time.

He's shades of Romero

Perhaps surprisingly, one of the Lilywhites' biggest problems under the Italian has been in defence - not something you'd expect from his style of play but it could point towards his current options not being good enough as many are prone to the odd error or two each game.

That's not to say that the young 21-year-old titan isn't - because he very much is - but he's more likely to grow and develop into what Conte is after - given his age - than say an Eric Dier, Ben Davies or Davinson Sanchez.

Hincapie is strikingly similar to that of Cristian Romero - one of the only shining lights in the back three. It's easy to see why they are comparable as both are aggressive in the tackle and are adept with the ball at his feet.

As per FBref, the Argentine is among the top three players for likeness to the Leverkusen star in terms of statistical profile. Hincapie, meanwhile, ranks inside the top 4% for completed dribbles, the top 11% for expected goals and the top 13% for tackles per 90, when compared to other centre-backs across Europe's top five divisions.

WhoScored also lists passing, aerial duels and blocking as three further key strengths of his, which is perhaps why talent scout Jacek Kulig once dubbed him the "complete and dominant" centre-back that he is.

The eagle-eyed talent spotter also lauded his tackling as "tenacious" and suggested that he is also "fast and strong," which are all fantastic assets for a Conte system.

Therefore, Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well land a player with shades of Romero with a late, last-gasp swoop for the Ecuadorian "prodigy" - as once hailed by journalist Jose de Jesus Ortiz.

£22m could well be a bargain for one of Europe's most talented young centre-backs.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Porro: Spurs could end January with a bang by signing "deadly" £26m gem...