Jonathan Tah is one name on a list of players on Tottenham Hotspur's "radar", according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The German international is one of a few options that new manager Ange Postecoglou wants to add to the heart of his defence going into the new Premier League season.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news – What's the latest on Jonathan Tah
With Clement Lenglet returning to Barcelona in the summer and the side shipping a disastrous 63 goals in the league last season, the defence is an area of the north London side that desperately needs improving for next season, something Tah could assist with.
Luckily for Spurs, German publication Sport BILD have reported that the 27-year-old could be sold for little as just €18m (£16m) due to an exit clause placed in his contract, something Daniel Levy and Co could exploit.
Another benefit of signing Tah is that he would be unlikely to command excessively high wages as the German international is only on a reported £58,000-a-week in Westphalia.
Levy will want to get a move on, however, as alongside Spurs, BILD (via Sportwitness) have reported that West Ham United hold a 'very concrete' interest in the player, and with the money they look set to receive for Declan Rice could rival Tottenham for the player's signature.
What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about Jonathan Tah to Tottenham Hotspur?
Jones highlighted a list of centre-backs that Tottenham have an interest in, but clarified that some of their pre-Postecoglou targets may not fit his attacking philosophy.
Writing for GiveMeSport, he said: "Other names on Tottenham's radar up to now are Manchester United's Harry Maguire, Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni, 6ft 5 Jonathan Tah of Bayer Leverkusen – who has previously been compared to Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano – and Max Kilman of Wolves – but not all of their targets pre-Postecoglou stand up to the new requirements needed at the heart of the defence for next season."
Would Johnathan Tah be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur?
For the rumoured price of just £16m, Tah could prove to be an excellent signing for the Lilywhites as they look to begin a new project under their Australian manager.
The 6 foot 5 "battleship", as once described by ex-teammate Christoph Kramer, has had a strong season for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this year, with WhoScored giving him a respectable average match rating of 6.58.
He has done even better in the Europa League, averaging a great 6.95 across his eight games in the European competition.
The deal would also make perfect sense for manager Postecoglou, as the former Celtic man is well known for his desire to play exciting, attacking football that requires his centre-backs to be strong on the ball and possess a good range of passing.
That is an area Tah excels.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the Bayer man is in the top 10% of centrebacks for his pass completion per 90, an impressive 90.2%.
Former manager Peter Bosz was so impressed by the player, he compared him to one of the most celebrated defenders still playing, Virgil Van Dijk, saying:
"I certainly see parallels between Jonathan and Virgil van Dijk."
With the price, his statistics, and the reviews from former managers, Jonathan Tah would surely thrive under the tutelage of the progressive Postecoglou at Tottenham.
