Tottenham Hotspur are now lining up a move for a new centre-back this January transfer window, according to reports...

What's the word?

Italian outlet Calciomercato.it, Spurs are set to rival Juventus for the signing of Hoffenheim loanee Stefan Posch as his versatility and athleticism is catching the eye of many suitors.

The Austria international is currently on a 'conditional loan' at Bologna, who could sign him for €5m (£4m), in the Serie A. However, the 25-year-old defender would command a fee of around €12m (£10.5m) to move on again this month.

Bye-bye Lenglet

Over the last few weeks, it's become increasingly clear that Spurs' backline is a problem once more and perhaps FC Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet wasn't the player that many hoped he would be.

The Frenchman has played a key role in the Lilywhites' recent downfall in the Premier League, losing 2-0 to arch-rivals Arsenal - where he played 88 minutes - and in Manchester City's stunning comeback from two goals down to win 4-2, where he was at fault with his 'dreadful touch' for Riyad Mahrez's winner.

Given that he's only on loan, manager Antonio Conte could instantly ditch him with a move for the aforementioned Posch, who at £10.5m and £17k-per-week would represent a far cheaper alternative.

Despite playing for a midtable side, the Austrian's performances must be respected. As per FBref, he excels at both ends of the pitch ranking inside the top 3% for non-penalty goals per 90 and the top 5% for tackles per 90 when compared to fellow centre-backs across Europe's top-five leagues over the last year.

Interestingly, the same website compares Posch's statistical profile to that of Lenglet, so it surely makes him a good like-for-like replacement, only one that is way more consistent as he ranks as Bologna's top-rated performer in the Serie A (6.88) this term, compared to the Frenchman being Spurs' 18th.

In fact, no player to have started ten or more Premier League matches has a worse rating than Lenglet (6.41).

Posch is also leading his squad with a whopping three tackles (fifth-most in Serie A) and 1.5 interceptions (joint-eighth) per domestic outing, making it seem easy to why he may have appeared on sporting director Fabio Paratici's radar.

Therefore, the Italian supremo must look to launch a move for the versatile 6 foot 2 Bologna titan - who was once dubbed "out of this world" - as he would be a far better option than Lenglet and thus, allowing Conte to bolster his leaky and inconsistent backline.

AND in other news, Conte could finally ditch £15m Mourinho dud in Spurs swoop for “perfect” £40m “talent”...