Tottenham Hotspur's need for a new striker is evident, but there's one name they simply must avoid at all costs...

What's the word?

According to CliveTHBN, Stade Rennes forward M'Baye Niang is still of interest to the north Londoners and it's not the first time he's been linked with a move to Spurs.

Get French Football News cited a report from L'Equipe claiming that Jose Mourinho's side had 'positioned' themselves to move for the 25-year-old, who has also held talks with former Lilywhite now Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas.

Although they suggest that the playing time on offer is very limited, which could spell trouble if they were to try and land Niang.

Balotelli 2.0?

It appears as if Niang has finally found his feet at Rennes after bagging 15 goals from 36 appearances this season. However, that still shouldn't entice Daniel Levy into a purchase.

Some in north London may recognise him from his time at Watford in 2016/17, though his performances for the Hornets were hardly inspiring having scored just twice throughout a season-long loan.

His off-the-pitch misdemeanours were the reason for him ending up in the English capital having originally been on the books at AC Milan.

The press labelled the £13.5m-rated man as Watford's answer to Mario Balotelli after he received a suspended jail sentence for a car crash whilst on loan to Montpellier along with breaking curfew on international duty.

Whilst his playing style has also been likened to the former Liverpool striker too.

He may now appear to be on the straight and narrow in France, but the fact that Spurs can barely offer regular game time smells like a recipe for disaster.

They can't afford to risk having someone upset the dressing room as there's a lot of work to be done to turn the ship back on course.

Rennes reportedly want €20m (£18m) for his services, but that's just too much of a gamble to take with such limited finances at Mourinho's disposal.

AND in other news, Levy could end Spurs’ striker puzzle with £27m swoop