Tottenham Hotspur defender Matt Doherty could be in danger if emerging reports are to be believed...

What's the word?

According to ABC, reported Spurs target Lucas Vazquez is set to leave Real Madrid this summer, which opens the door for Daniel Levy to secure him on a free transfer.

Just last week, the Daily Star (28th February, page 45) claimed the north Londoners were mulling up an offer for the 29-year-old amid uncertainty over his future at the Spanish giants.

This season, Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane has converted the winger into a right-back, often featuring in the absence of Dani Carvajal, so if Jose Mourinho is after a new right-sided defender, it may well spell trouble for their £15m summer investment.

Doherty in danger

Doherty was signed from Wolves at the start of the campaign but has struggled to make much of an impact at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having been usurped by divisive liability Serge Aurier.

Indeed, the Irishman has only started nine times in the Premier League this term, which has led to speculation over his future in N17, already.

As reported by ESPN just a few weeks ago, the 29-year-old has a dubious future under Mourinho as the Portuguese boss remains unconvinced by his ability.

Therefore, any arrival in the role would surely see the club wave goodbye to him as it would be the final nail in the coffin.

Aurier has started 14 matches in the top-flight, largely missing out through injury, though his instant return to the starting XI at the weekend showed exactly who Mourinho favours more.

Even Japhet Tanganga was getting games at right-back over Doherty, which speaks volumes.

If Levy were to land Vazquez on a freebie in the summer, then you can only imagine that it pushes him closer towards the exit door, especially as the versatile £13.5m-rated gem has made over 55% of his appearances at right-back this term.

Whether he'd be an upgrade on Doherty is another matter.

However, only three other players have performed better for Madrid than Vazquez (7.19) as per WhoScored ratings, while he has contributed towards six goals in only 16 league starts, which is more than Aurier, Doherty and Tanganga combined (four).

Vazquez also tops the charts for tackles per game (2.5), not only proving to be a nuisance off the ball with an incredible work rate, but also a player capable of doing his defensive duties - to good effect too, as he's successful 66% of the time, as per WhoScored.

You cannot understate his attacking influence either as the Spaniard sits second for key passes per game (1.9), meaning he's contributing creatively up the field as much as he's impacting the game at the back.

Doherty's 1.5 tackles and 0.6 key passes, via WhoScored, simply aren't a match for Vazquez, only reinforcing the view that he could easily be replaced come the summer.

Lauded for being a "reliable" workhorse by Zidane, Vazquez would surely be a welcome addition at Spurs, though given Mourinho's extensive options in attack, the only foreseeable position for him would be at right-back.

Doherty should approach this summer with caution.

AND in other news, Mourinho must make a major U-turn over "special" Spurs star who's "better than ever"...