Roberto De Zerbi took some of the heat off his position after Tottenham Hotspur grabbed their first Premier League win of the season against Coventry City on Monday evening.

After spending close to £400 million in the summer window, the north London club are expected to be active again in the winter window, though not to that extent. The addition of a new striker is Roberto De Zerbi’s top priority, with the N17 chiefs trying to offload Richarlison and Dominic Solanke struggling to deliver the goods.

Summer addition Omar Marmoush broke his duck finally in the 3-1 win over Coventry City, but the Tottenham boss view him as more of a No.10 or left-sided forward. In addition to a striker, it looks like the Lilywhites want to bring in a full-back.

Barcelona decide on the future of breakout star amid Tottenham interest

Recent reports suggest that Tottenham have scouted talented Barcelona full-back Xavi Espart and compiled detailed reports this season. The Premier League club are closely following his progress at Nou Camp.

A product of the La Masia academy, Xavi Espart is enjoying a breakout season under Hansi Flick. The Spaniard’s emergence has been nothing short of sensational, and the full-back grabbed more attention when he scored a fantastic goal, albeit in Barcelona’s 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The teenager has kept Alejandro Balde on the periphery, impressing head coach Hansi Flick with his work rate, energy, attacking endeavours and defensive diligence. It emerged that a fee of around €40m-€50m would be required to convince Barcelona to sell Espart, but a new update has contradicted that claim.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Barcelona have made an ’emphatic decision’ on the future of Espart after learning of interest from the Premier League. They view the 19-year-old as ‘untouchable’ after his impressive start to the campaign, and they have decided to reject any offers that will be tabled next year.

For De Zerbi, targeting a full-back of Espart’s talent and potential makes strong tactical sense. Having impressed with his reading of the game, movement, ball manipulation and progressive passing out from the back, the Barcelona starlet possesses the essential attributes required to execute De Zerbi’s high-line build-up system. However, the Catalan giants have seemingly made their stance clear on the player.

Espart has a €100m release clause in his contract, which demonstrates how highly Barcelona rate him. Plus, the youngster is believed to be enjoying life at Barca and is keen to establish himself in the first team and achieve innumerable success with his boyhood club. This development should come as a big setback for Spurs in their pursuit of Espart.