According to Tuttomercatoweb, Tottenham have submitted an opening bid for Napoli midfielder Amadou Diawara.

What’s the story?

The report from Italy claims Spurs are leading the way for Diawara, and that Napoli would be willing to sell the midfielder if their price is met.

Tottenham are of course on the hunt for a long-term replacement for Mousa Dembele, who has hinted he could leave the club this summer.

PSG have also enquired about the Guinean midfielder, though the French champions have not submitted an official bid.

Diawara for Dembele?

If Tottenham are going to lose Mousa Dembele this summer, then they absolutely have to make signing a central midfielder their number one priority.

Eric Dier and Moussa Sissoko are both good squad options due to their versatility, but neither are the type of potential superstar you need to carry a title charge.

Diawara is by no means a superstar yet, having started just five league matches for Napoli, but he certainly has the potential to be a world class midfielder.

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The 20 year-old is most comfortable in a defensive midfield role, and outside of his inability to win aerial duels he has every trait to succeed in that role in North London.

The young midfielder has played 26 times in all competitions this season, and boasts an incredible 92 per cent pass success rate. He doesn’t have the wiry dribbling ability of Dembele, but his passing is much better than the Belgian.

Diawara also possesses impressive intelligence and game reading ability for such a young player, and is great at breaking up play before building up the little passes that Pochettino would love in his midfield.

If Tottenham do sign Diawara but lose Dembele, they would likely need a more experienced midfielder to help bed the youngster in, but there is a really special player in there just waiting to be unlocked by a manager like Pochettino.

So, Tottenham fans, would you back a summer swoop for Diawara? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…