Tottenham Hotspur could seriously bolster their engine room by signing James Maddison in January, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The north London outfit have long been linked with a move for the Leicester City maestro, who last week was called up to Gareth Southgate's squad for the World Cup in Qatar, which gets underway on Sunday.

England's first game will be against Iran on Monday afternoon, though the Foxes star is doubtful to feature thanks to a lingering knee problem.

That being said, his form for his club this campaign made him an undeniable choice to be on the plane as few players offer a similar level of creativity in the final third.

That is also a problem that has loitered around Hotspur Way in recent times, perhaps dating back to Christian Eriksen's departure nearly three years ago.

With manager Antonio Conte lacking that attacking midfielder capable of providing the likes of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski with central creativity, O'Rourke believes that Maddison could be the answer, alongside their current in-form middle man, Rodrigo Bentancur.

Speaking to Football FanCast recently, he said:

"Someone like Maddison could be the perfect foil for Bentancur, who is a more defensive midfielder but has been playing further forward in recent weeks and has been getting among the goals, which is good for Spurs to see.

"But on paper, those two together would look a formidable midfield."

Indeed, just like the Uruguyan international - who is also going to be in the Middle East for the world's top tournament this month - Maddison has been in electric form for the struggling Midlands outfit.

On the back of a career-best season of 18 goals and 12 assists, the England star has already delivered 11 direct goal contributions from 13 Premier League outings, including a strike in Leicester's 6-2 defeat to the Lilywhites back in mid-September.

Also, when compared to his positional peers across Europe's five elite divisions by FBref, he ranks inside the top 5% for non-penalty goals and the top 9% for assists per 90.

Once lauded as a "genius" and a "magician", it's easy to see why Maddison is being touted as a top creative solution for Conte and Spurs.

The prospect of pairing him alongside Bentancur in the middle for the next few seasons is surely too exciting for sporting director Fabio Paratici to ignore, particularly when you consider Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's shock links to Real Madrid and the 'struggles' of summer signing Yves Bissouma.

By signing the Leicester whiz, who was valued at around £50m during the summer transfer window, Spurs could finally resolve their long-standing attacking midfield problem.

AND in other news, Paratici could unearth the next Trent A-A in Spurs swoop for gem who's "gone from 0 to 100"...