Postecoglou lines up Tottenham January signing No 3 with £50m-rated Chelsea man next; move funded by sale of Conte favourite

Tottenham are reportedly stepping up their plans to make Conor Gallagher their third signing of the January window – and they intend on funding his £50m capture by allowing one Antonio Conte’s favourites to depart for a reduced fee.

Spurs made a great start to the new season, winning eight and drawing two of Ange Postecoglou’s first 10 games in charge to ensure the Aussie made the best opening by any new manager in the history of the Premier League. However, a fateful 4-1 home defeat against Chelsea in early November proved painful for Tottenham in more ways than one.

Not only did Spurs finish the game with nine men – both Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero seeing red – but they also lost arguably their two best players in James Maddison and Micky van de Ven to injury.

And while Spurs did have the attacking options to cover for Maddison’s absence, the loss of Dutchman Van de Ven certainly hit hard given his absence also coincided with a three-game ban for Romero that left Postecoglou having to use Ben Davies and Emerson Royal as an emergency centre-half pairing.

Thankfully, the January window has allowed Tottenham some respite and a deal to sign Radu Dragusin is expected to go through before the week is out. Spurs, though, did have to raise their bid following a late approach from Bayern Munich, with the Romanian’s agent even expressing his shock at the move to N17.

With ‘Turbo Timo’ Werner also coming in to boost their attack, Postecoglou now has two of the three signings he always hoped he could make this month.

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Chelsea ready to cash in on Conor Gallagher with Tottenham poised to strike

Now, according to multiple reports, moves to bring in signing No 3 of January are gathering serious pace with a raid on Chelsea for Gallagher next.

The England man has been a regular in the Blues midfield this season, appearing in 25 matches so far and wearing the captain’s armband on numerous occasions.

As a result, Mauricio Pochettino is loath to lose the 11-times capped England man, especially given the ongoing injury absence of big summer signing Romeo Lavia.

However, it’s reported that Pochettino has been promised that any funds from Gallagher’s sale will go straight back into his transfer kitty.

And TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea are intending to make at least two big-money signings this month to help save their season and prevent another calamitous mid-table finish. To that end, Chelsea want to sign a new centre-half – possibly as a long-term successor to Thiago Silva – and a new striker, which the Blues boss has been desperately crying out for.

And despite having spent well over £1bn since taking charge, Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is willing to dip his hands in his extraordinarily deep pockets again, with an initial £60m put at Pochettino’s disposal.

However, those funds could soar if the Blues manage to offload Gallagher. Per The Times, Spurs are very much at the front of that chase and have been given encouragement that a deal can go through this month.

Per the report, the Blues are reportedly demanding a fee of £50m, which could rise to £60m with add-ons – a fee Postecoglou is imploring Spurs to meet.

Tottenham to fund move by selling on Conte favourite

While the signing of Gallagher could see Tottenham’s winter spending soaring towards the £100m mark – a huge sum for the January window – Spurs do have funds in place following Harry Kane’s club-record summer switch to Bayern Munich, which could ultimately net them a fee rising to £87.5m.

Furthermore, they also plan to claw back some of their January outlay, with Gallagher’s arrival nuding closer to Tottenham’s all-time transfer record, by cashing in on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who still very much finds himself a man in demand.

The Dane was a regular feature in the side under Antonio Conte last season, but with the arrival of Angeball – which demands both a high tempo and a high intensity – has seen Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma become regulars in the heart of midfield at his expense.

His lack of game time has seen the player make clear his wish to leave, though Tottenham’s €35m (£30m) demands scuppered his chances of moving to Atletico Madrid over the summer.

Spurs, though, are understood to have made it clear they are willing to move him on this month, with Postecoglou green lighting his potential sale.

As a result, a move to Juventus could well be on the cards, with Tottenham reportedly willing to accept a reduced fee of €20m – €25m (£17.2m – £21.5m) for a move to go through now, though they could also accept a loan deal with a view to a permanent move if it meant getting the player off their wage bill now.

The departure of the Dane would help offset the huge costs needed for Gallagher and appease chairman Daniel Levy in the process as he looks to claw back some funds.

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