Tottenham Hotspur could look to sign Benoit Badiashile amid interest from his club, AS Monaco, in backup centre-back Davinson Sanchez...

What's the word?

That's according to ever-reliable football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, who delivered the intriguing claim during a recent Q&A with supporters.

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Speaking about Spurs' left-sided defensive targets, he said: "I understand Monaco have shown an interest in Davinson Sanchez and I do wonder whether Spurs might look at Benoit Badiashile, their France U21 international left-sided centre-back if any discussions take place."

The 21-year-old, who stands at a whopping 6 foot 4, has attracted interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea in recent weeks.

Bye-bye Sanchez?

Antonio Conte and his recruitment staff are certainly in the market for a new left-footed central defender, but the likes of Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni and Josko Gvardiol of RB Leipzig are proving to be expensive or out of reach thus far.

That means their attention is likely to soon turn elsewhere, so Gold's suggestion that they could move for Badiashile is certainly plausible and perhaps something they should be looking at instead.

Valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, the Monaco colossus may well cost half the price of either of the aforementioned names, whilst he is surely a better option to some of the other alternatives named, largely Barcelona flop Clement Lenglet.

The France U21 gem has been lauded as a "great talent" by ASM vice president Oleg Petrov, whilst scout Jacek Kulig has suggested that Badiashile is the "definition of a complete centre-back, adding that the 21-year-old is "known for his ball-playing ability and composure."

Indeed, this certainly appears to be the case as he ranks amongst the top 7% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues for progressive passes per 90 (4.56), meaning he is consistently playing the ball forward into the opposition's half rather than sideways or backwards.

The Frenchman also ranks inside the top 8% for interceptions (2.96 per 90) and the top 12% for aerial duels won (3.86 per 90), via FBRef, who also make him most comparable to Dortmund veteran Mats Hummels.

Given the fact that Sanchez, who cost a whopping £42m, has often been slammed as a "liability" around north London, it would be wise to try and swap him for an elite talent with bags of potential in Badiashile.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici must now consider the Monaco sensation heading into next season.

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