Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be losing ground in their pursuit of Lille powerhouse Boubakary Soumare...

What's the word?

According to the Daily Star, Spurs have been leapfrogged by Premier League rivals Leicester City in a battle to land the 22-year-old midfielder this summer.

It's claimed that the Foxes are becoming increasingly confident in securing the 6 foot 2 dynamo in a £30m deal, having tracked his meteoric rise for the past year.

The France U21 international is currently in the final 15 months of his contract at the Ligue 1 outfit, so they may well have to sell in order to maximise their profits.

Scary Spurs midfield

This is not good news for Jose Mourinho and Spurs, and as a result, Daniel Levy must ramp up their bid to secure Soumare as his arrival could see a frightening midfield formed in north London.

The Lille sensation has drawn major comparisons to Paul Pogba for his powerful and dominating box-to-box displays but unlike the Man Utd superstar, Soumare is more deployed right in front of the backline - similar to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

But if you were to pair the two together, then it would certainly alleviate the pressure on the likes of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, who have both come under pressure for their defensive mistakes throughout the campaign.

Averaging 1.3 tackles and one interception per league outing this term, Soumare has the physical attributes and evident ability to read the opposition's game to thrive in England.

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It's no surprise to see Lille president Gerard Lopez heap praise on his emerging starlet, he told France Football (via Goal):

"He’s one of the very best at his job. He’s technical, with incredible physical power and wins a great deal of possession. He’s a modern No.6 or 8. We’ll see him in the France team very soon. He’s a clear vision of where he wants to go and he’s working very hard to get there."

The 22-year-old, like many that have gone through the system at Lille or Monaco, was unearthed by impressive talent-spotter Luis Campos, and that alone should give Spurs confidence in the midfielder's ability to hit the ground running.

Fabinho, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Anthony Martial and Gabriel have all gone onto prove their worth in the Premier League after being coveted by the Portuguese director of football.

Soumare is certainly next up to repeat this feat. He's versatile, intelligent and grounded - "He's a great player. He's so young and a great talent. A happy and humble guy," explained team-mate, Renato Sanches, to Sky Sports. "He's athletic. He's fast. He's strong. He has technique. He's prepared for the Premier League."

All in all, Levy cannot afford to see this future star go to any of Spurs' Premier League rivals, and especially not ones challenging for the top four above them in Leicester and Man Utd.

For just £30m, the north London outfit could form a scary midfield to be reckoned with. On the above evidence, Soumare would be a fantastic addition to Mourinho's XI.

AND in other news, Levy could solve Mourinho's biggest Spurs nightmare with swoop for 32 y/o "quarterback"...