Tottenham to target RB Leipzig’s Marcel Sabitzer if Dele Alli departs

Marcel Sabitzer has once again been linked with a move to Tottenham, with one report claiming Jose Mourinho sees the Austrian as his primary target in January.

Sabitzer has taken over the captaincy at RB Leipzig and played a central role in eliminating Manchester United from the Champions League earlier in December. He has averaged a goal every four games since returning to east Germany from his loan at Red Bull Salzburg in 2015, and has been subject to interest from various clubs in England in the past.

Tottenham are one club who have been linked previously, but talk has intensified since the club opened the exit door to Dele Alli.

90min learned earlier in the month that Dele is keen to move on after losing the trust of Jose Mourinho, while it’s thought Mourinho and chairman Daniel Levy are prepared to sanction a loan to Paris Saint-Germain, where former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is being lined up to take over.

The Evening Standard now claim that Mourinho is particularly enthusiastic about moving Dele on, since it would free up funds to close in on Sabitzer – who they say has become one the club’s ‘leading targets’. And it’s easy to see why: the attacking midfielder has been directly involved in 33 goals since the beginning of last season.

Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur goes one step further than that, claiming on Twitter that the player has learned of Spurs’ interest and has held talks with Leipzig over an exit.

He tweeted: “Marcel Sabitzer, in a meeting with Leipzig managers, said he wanted to join Tottenham and asked them to facilitate his transfer. Tottenham & Leipzig are still in negotiations.”

The Standard also say that a new centre-back is high on Mourinho’s wanted list, and 90min understand that Sassuolo’s Gian Marco Ferrara is among those being considered.