Radu Dragusin ticks all Tottenham boxes to be ideal first January transfer for Ange Postecoglou

A move for Genoa defender Radu Dragusin as a potential Tottenham transfer was confirmed by a two-man scouting trip last month, football.london understands.

Spurs have found a move for Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo to be problematic with the second-placed French club in the midst of a Ligue 1 title race and five points behind leaders PSG and therefore reluctant to part company at this stage of the season with one of the best young defenders in Europe.

That has raised the expectation that discussions with Genoa could lead to a more immediate transfer for the 21-year-old Dragusin, who has been catching the eye with his performances in Serie A this season.

Ange Postecoglou is believed to have approved both potential new centre-backs but has made it clear publicly that his desire is to have a new defender through the door within the first week of the transfer window to help with his threadbare backline. There is a need to adapt any new signing in time for the trip to Manchester United in the Premier League after Spurs' mini-winter break when the Tottenham boss should also have Micky van de Ven back and available following his hamstring injury.

Dragusin is a younger, more raw product than 24-year-old Todibo but Postecoglou has no qualms about developing young defenders that he feels are ready. He threw both 22-year-old Van de Ven and the then 20-year-old Destiny Udogie into action alongside each other for their debuts on the opening day of Spurs' Premier League season at Brentford.

football.london understands that while Tottenham were winning at Nottingham Forest on December 15, two of Spurs' new recruitment heads, technical director Johan Lange and his chief scout Rob Mackenzie, were both in Genoa watching Dragusin