Tottenham Hotspur have once again been linked with a move for a Championship defender ahead of the January transfer window...

What's the word?

According to Football Insider, Spurs boss Nuno Santo is keen to sign Stoke City colossus Harry Souttar, having previously sanctioned a move for him during his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Earlier this month, the same outlet reported that several Premier League clubs were keen to sign the 6 foot 5 giant, who has been watched multiple times by scouts since penning a long-term deal at the bet365 Stadium.

The Lilywhites may need to battle Everton and Aston Villa to his signature, though it still remains to be seen what sort of fee such a deal would command.

Ex-Potters player Mike Pejic believes that Souttar is worth more than £20m, but Transfermarkt currently value him at a lowly £3.6m.

Imagine him and Romero

Heading into the new campaign, Spurs' backline was quite a contentious topic as they were riddled with inconsistencies and a lack of leadership, whilst they were often let down by numerous individual errors.

The bulk of the defensive armoury still remains in N17 as only Toby Alderweireld departed the club, meaning that the likes of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez are still playing matches.

New sporting director Fabio Paratici brought in Cristian Romero from Atalanta and he's largely looked the part whenever he's been involved. If he's to sign permanently, then he could need a long-term partner, and perhaps Souttar can be that man.

The Australia international would hand Nuno height like no other in defence, which could be a scary prospect alongside the ruthless Romero.

He has won an average of 4.6 headers per game in the Championship this term, on top of 1.9 interceptions and two tackles per match, via WhoScored. It's no wonder his manager Michael O'Neill once claimed that the 23-year-old is a "player blessed with great natural attributes" and "good game intelligence."

By comparison, no Spurs player has managed more than an average of 3.6 aerials won, with Romero currently the best central defender (2.2) for that aspect.

Meanwhile, Souttar has been likened to players such as Harry Maguire and Virgil van Dijk, who started their careers elsewhere before becoming two of the most recognised centre-backs in the Premier League, so it's already an early sign that he could follow suit.

Also dubbed a "Rolls-Royce" by former Stoke legend Ryan Shawcross - who himself played well over 300 times in the top-flight - it seems as if Spurs could be onto something with the 23-year-old Nuno target.

Paratici must look to seal a move for Souttar when January swings around. It could be a smart decision as the Portuguese looks to build a colossal backline for years to come.

AND in other news, Paratici could seal Spurs' biggest signing since Son with "complete" £27m-rated beast...