Tottenham Hotspur could sign a new attacking midfielder before the transfer deadline on September 1st.

That's according to transfer insider Dean Jones, who believes the north London outfit are open to finding a no.10 but are not desperate to do so this summer.

He told GIVEMESPORT:

"I think the 10 is an interesting one for Tottenham. It’s a position they are open to, but I don’t think they’re especially desperate for one right now."

Spurs have been linked to several names in this profile of target and perhaps the most intriguing is Jesse Lingard, who the Telegraph claim is a key target due to his homegrown status.

The 29-year-old dynamo left his boyhood club, Manchester United, after over two decades and now finds himself as a free-agent, meaning he would not cost chairman Daniel Levy a penny in terms of a transfer fee.

Lingard's versatility is another key factor behind the Lilywhites' interest as he can play in a multitude of roles, ranging from no.10 to out wide and even upfront.

But it's in attacking midfield that he could thrive as statistical website FBref liken his playing style to that of Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard, so sporting director Fabio Paratici could secure his very own carbon copy of the arch-rival star.

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The England international ranks very favourably compared to his positional peers across Europe - he sits amongst the top 1% for pressures (26.35 per 90), the top 3% for passes completion (85.8% per 90) and the top 4% for tackles (2.41 per 90), also via FBref.

These returns would suggest that Lingard could be a perfect fit for Conte's system as he can evidently press from the front, even often winning the ball back and clearly possesses playmaking capabilities.

We saw glimpses of that during a loan spell at West Ham United, where he delivered nine goals and five assists from 16 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

"He’s a special lad and was very good around the players, the players really like him. His ability shone out last year and gave us a great option in our squad," claimed former Irons assistant Stuart Pearce to talkSPORT.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT presenter Adrian Durham lauded him as "absolutely phenomenal" for his form at the London Stadium.

Given that Spurs could pick up a player that's valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt for nothing, it seems a low-risk and no-brainer move from Paratici and co at Hotspur Way.

In Lingard, they could find their very own Odegaard, a player capable of filling that no.10 void at Tottenham, without paying a penny. It makes the world of sense.

AND in other news, £16.6m wasted: Conte must axe £50k-p/w Spurs passenger who Pochettino dubbed "perfect"...