Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race to sign Memphis Depay this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, who claim that several Premier League teams are eyeing up an English return for the Dutch international after slipping down the pecking order under Xavi at Barcelona, despite being their top goalscorer on ten goals.

Spurs are thought to top the list of potential top-flight suitors and are said to be interested in signing him. The report even goes as far as suggesting that a bid has been made.

French outfit Lyon, who he left to join the Nou Camp giants on a free transfer, are keen to bring him back, whilst there are plenty of Italian teams also interested, including AC Milan, Inter and Juventus.

It remains to be seen how much it would take to entice the Catalan side into a sale, though CIES Football Observatory currently value him in the region of €50m (£42m).

Conte’s next talisman?

Tottenham being on the lookout for another striker should surprise no one as manager Antonio Conte does not have sufficient options in his attacking department – it’s really only Harry Kane.

And if you look at the success he’s had more recently, with Inter, you’ll see that his tactical system was on the basis of two strikers being deployed in tandem.

One of which being Romelu Lukaku and the other being Lautaro Martinez.

There are some parallels to be drawn between the latter and Depay, so it’s a foreseeable situation that the Barca outcast could pair up with the England skipper to form a similar partnership in north London.

Once described as a “special talent” by Marco van Basten, the 28-year-old has earned a very respectable goalscoring record over the course of his career.

Now behind the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Ousmane Dembele, he still leads the squad on 20 appearances, in which just 15 have been starts.

Back in Lyon, the former Manchester United ace provided 76 goals and 55 assists in 178 appearances, which included a career-best of 20 in the season prior to his departure, as per Transfermarkt.

Just like Martinez, Depay stands at 5 foot 9 and can act as the smaller forward that plays off a Lukaku, or in this case, a Kane. If anything, the Spurs striker’s ability to drop deep and be just as effective will only benefit the 28-year-old, should he make the move to N17.

In the search for a new frontman, sporting director Fabio Paratici could do little wrong in signing Depay this summer. He could well become Conte’s next Martinez at Spurs next season.

AND in other news, £68m down the drain: Spurs dud has stolen a living for over 130 weeks, he must be sold…