Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the signing of Sofyan Amrabat this January transfer window...

What's the word?

Italian journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano delivered a fresh update on Spurs' pursuit of the Fiorentina midfielder, who is currently excelling for Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, very early on Wednesday morning.

He said:

"Sofyan Amrabat to Tottenham, advanced but not a done deal yet. [Antonio] Conte and [Fabio] Paratici both want him - he's also doing great at AFCON.

"But Spurs are waiting to complete [Tanguy] Ndombele deal [to Paris Saint-Germain] before Amrabat (loan with buy option). Player side, not a problem: he only wants Spurs."

Closing in

At the moment, this would be the Lilywhites' first signing this month as a swoop for Adama Traore continues to rumble on without much success.

It appears as if Conte's attentions have quickly turned to sorting out the engine room because you don't make the likes of Ndombele, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso all available for an exit if you're not going to try and reinforce such a key position, especially with less than five days of the window remaining.

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Amrabat isn't a signing that is going to thrill much of the Spurs fanbase but if the Italian head coach wants him, then he must be backed.

The 25-year-old midfielder has been restricted to only 211 minutes in the Serie A this season but has featured in three full 90-minute games for his country in Group C and the round of 16 at AFCON.

Conte has lacked someone capable of driving the ball forward from midfield and he could well find that in Amrabat. Of the 39 players to have attempted 150 or more dribbles since the start of the 2019/20 campaign,  only one player (Ismael Bennacer, 79.6%) has managed a better dribble success rate than the Viola enforcer (70.3%), per WhoScored.

That is also above every single one of Spurs' current central options with Oliver Skipp leading the way on 66.7% and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg not too far behind on 62.2%. Ndombele - who is supposed to be the ideal fit for the role - sits down at 55%, which is rather telling.

He is also solid at delivering long balls and is aggressive in the tackle, so whilst his lack of game time is a worry, there are certainly credentials there that make him fit for Conte, who must be absolutely delighted that a deal is very close. to happening.

Somewhat of a perfect signing for the Spurs boss, the north London outfit are in for one busy few days ahead of Monday's deadline.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold hints at Adama Traore twist for Spurs...