Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Anthony Gordon to north London in the January transfer window.
What's the talk?
That's according to a report by The Sun, who claim that, after Spurs were strongly linked with the Everton winger in the summer, Antonio Conte is once again considering launching a bid for the 21-year-old in the winter market.
Meanwhile, Chelsea - who reportedly saw a £40m bid for the England U21 international in August - are no longer believed to be in the race for the attacker following Graham Potter's appointment at the club - affording Fabio Paratici something of a clear run.
However, with Frank Lampard appearing desperate to keep the flanker - having offered Gordan a bumper new deal at Goodison Park, something that is yet to be signed - it is said the Toffees will demand a figure in the region of £60m to part with the forward.
Forget Gordon, unleash Gil
While it is undeniable that Gordon is a player who boasts a considerable amount of potential for future development, considering the winger's poor form so far this season (3 goals, 0 assists), coupled with the fact that Tottenham already possess an incredibly talented and massively underused attacking prospect in Bryan Gil, Conte could save Spurs £60m by finally unleashing the Spaniard.
Indeed, according to FBref, the £30.5m-rated Gordan currently ranks in the top 12% of midfielders in Europe's big five leagues and European competitions for non-penalty xG per 90, as well as the top 19% for shots, the bottom 39% for assists and the bottom 48% for shot creating actions over the last 365 days.
Furthermore, the £10k-per-week winger also ranks in the top 26% for dribbles completed per 90, in addition to the top 14% for touches in the opposition penalty area and the top 33% for progressive passes received over the past 12 months.
In comparison, FBref rank the £22m-rated Gil in the top 22% of midfielders in Europe's big five leagues and European competitions for non-penalty xG per 90, as well as the top 35% for shots, the top 41% for assists and the top 12% for shot-creating actions over the last year.
The database also ranks the £40k-per-week flanker in the top 7% for dribbles completed per 90, in addition to the top 8% for touches in the opposition box and the top 6% for progressive passes received in the past 365 days.
Indeed, it is clear to see that Gordon and Gil have returned extremely similar numbers, and with the former having played 3061 minutes of football over the last year compared to the latter's 832 minutes, the argument could easily be made that, with less time to impress, the Spain U21 international's returns are even more impressive.
As such, rather than spending £60m to bring Gordon to north London this winter, Conte simply must unleash the "unbelievable" Gil who is "like Messi" - in the words of Jordan Campbell - as the Italian arguably already possesses a player who is a much better prospect than the Everton starlet in the Spanish sensation.