An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their pursuit of Pervis Estupinan in the summer transfer window... 

What's the talk?

According to Spanish outlet El Periodico Mediterraneo, Villarreal are aware of interest from Spurs in the Ecuador international.

The report claims that the Premier League team are yet to open official talks with the La Liga outfit over a deal for the defender, but have made it clear to his agent that they are keen on him.

Villarreal signed the full-back from Championship side Watford for a fee of £15m in the summer of 2020 and it remains to be seen how much they will demand for him this summer.

Antonio Conte's own Marc Cucurella

It has been reported, earlier this month, that Spurs are one of the clubs interested in a swoop for Brighton star Marc Cucurella.

Fellow Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester City are also said to be in the race to land his signature and this could make a deal difficult for Paratici to complete.

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In Estupinan, the Italian chief can find Conte his own version of the Spanish wing-back. As per FBref, Cucurella is the second-most similar player to the Villarreal gem based on their respective statistics over the last 365 days in domestic and European action.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig previously dubbed him "one of the best" left-backs in La Liga and his stats suggest that he is, in fact, one of the best in Europe at reading the game. Per FBref, he is in the 97th percentile in Europe's top five leagues for interceptions made per 90, making 3.12 for Villarreal.

He is a strong defender as he can read when and where opponents want to pass the ball. This can be vital for Spurs next season as he can use that ability to win the ball back and spring counter-attacks, which are a key element of the 3-4-3 set-up.

Estupinan has also shown that he has the quality to make things happen in attack. In the 2021/22 campaign, he created four 'big chances' in just 17 starts from left-back - managing five 'big chances' created and five assists in the 2019/20 season in La Liga.

Meanwhile, Cucurella created three 'big chances' and made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League last term. Both players can create from left-back whilst not shying away from their defensive duties and both have the potential to improve as they are under the age of 25.

Therefore, Spurs can evade a battle with Manchester City and Chelsea and find an alternative to the Seagulls gem by snapping up Estupinan from Villarreal.

AND in other news: Paratici can land big Davies upgrade in Spurs deal to sign "immense" £30m "revelation"