After the Milan Skriniar saga this summer, it appears Tottenham Hotspur are moving their interest elsewhere in the Serie A ahead of the upcoming transfer window...

What's the word?

According to Italian newspaper La Nazione, Spurs are among the teams interested in signing 6 foot 5 Fiorentina colossus Nikola Milenkovic next month.

It's claimed that La Viola are trying to tie him down to a new deal in Florence while the north Londoners are likely to have to battle Premier League rivals Manchester United for his signature.

The 23-year-old Serbian international would command a fee of around €25m (£22.5m).

Upgrade?

After the departures of Jan Vertonghen (free to Benfica) and Juan Foyth (loan to Villarreal), as well as the ineligibility of Joe Rodon in competitions outside the Premier League, Jose Mourinho is short on central defensive options.

His current pairing of Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld had contributed to four straight clean sheets in the top-flight against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and City, whilst it is also clear that Davinson Sanchez is wildly out-of-favour having not played in the league since that infamous West Ham comeback.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see him sold and a new man brought in, hence the speculation.

And when delving into the numbers, it is Milenkovic that comes out on top, in comparison to midfielder-turned-defender Dier or former target Skriniar, who has been playing in the very same league.

Per WhoScored, the Fiorentina star is averaging more aerials won (3.6), more tackles (1.6), more blocks (1.2) and is even winning more offsides (one) per game this term.

Only Skriniar is better in terms of passing and likewise Dier with clearances.

In the past, Milenkovic has drawn comparisons to Nemanja Vidic with journalist Dejan Stankovic telling ESPN: "Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field. He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common, both are fearless."

Whilst Ivan Tomic, his former coach at Partizan, added further fuel to the narrative by claiming: "Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him."

Indeed, Daniel Levy could land Spurs and Mourinho a clear defensive upgrade with a bargain £22.5m swoop for the impressive Serie A powerhouse.

AND in other news, Spurs must sell ghastly £75k-p/w MISFIT who's burned a £55m hole in Levy's pockets...