Tottenham Hotspur could discover their new Mousa Dembele in this transfer window...

What's the word?

According to French outlet Homme Du Match, Spurs have submitted a €20m (£17m) bid for Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge, who is being coveted from several top-flight teams, including arch-rivals Arsenal.

It's believed that the Blades, who were relegated to the Championship last term, will reject the offer as they want to hold out for no less than €25m (£21.5m).

That figure is below the 24-cap Norwegian's reported release clause of £35m, which decreased by £10m following United's drop to the second tier of English football.

Shades of Dembele

In Berge, the North Londoners could find a player in the mould of their former midfield beast Dembele.

The Belgian box-to-box enforcer was renowned for being a big, strong and powerful presence in the engine room, but also one who could bring the ball forward with his technically gifted dribbling and passing attributes.

An average of 3.6 tackles, 1.9 interceptions, 2.9 dribbles and one key pass per Premier League outing in 2015/16, via WhoScored, merely highlights his phenomenal ability.

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As former teammate Jermaine Jenas once described perfectly to the BBC, Dembele was "like a vacuum - he just sucks in all the pressure and then releases the ball at the perfect time."

Despite Sheffield United's relegation, Berge has displayed very similar characteristics - throughout his career so far, he has averaged 1.7 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.7 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

It's no wonder his former Blades manager Chris Wilder described the 6 foot 5 colossus as a "complete midfielder" to Norwegian newspaper VG, adding: "He can play as an 8 and as 6. He can play in different formations."

Nuno Santo may be awash with options in central midfield, with the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp and Dele Alli all candidates to play alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but none offer the Dembele-like exploits which are lacking in the middle.

Tottenham's sporting director Fabio Paratici could do little wrong in bolstering such a key area, and in the £16.2m-rated powerhouse, he'd be providing the manager with an impressive box-to-box option who should thrive in his system - think Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho at Wolves.

AND in other news, Paratici masterclass: Spurs must secure bargain swoop for "dangerous" £18m-rated beast...