Eight goals and eight assists: Tottenham must rival Italian giants for £36m PL attacker

COMMENT By Will Butcher

Tottenham would finally end their hunt for Premier League glory with the signing of Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial this summer.

Sky Italy journalist Gianluca Di Marzio revealed on his website that Inter Milan are in contact with the player's representatives over a possible move to the San Siro.

This comes just two years after the 21-year-old joined United, for a fee the BBC claim cost United £36million that could eventually rise to a staggering £58million.

The former Monaco forward has had to fight on the fringes at Old Trafford this season, with the likes of Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Henrikh Mkhitaryan often preferred.

Spurs are yet to complete a signing this summer but Mauricio Pochettino is likely to want to bolster his squad ahead of the 2017-18 season, in order to finally gold aloft the Premier League trophy.

Football Insider considers just why Martial would give Spurs the quality necessary to do that, if signed by the north London outfit in the coming weeks.

Here are three reasons why, including the future over a number of attackers that have flopped under Pochettino:

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Premier League form

Since moving to United back in the summer of 2015, Martial has treated fans to a number of spectacular goals and assists with many coming from his natural position on the left flank.

Possessing blistering pace and an exceptional eye for goal, Martial has had a hand in 25 top flight goals on these shores during 56 appearances.

Scoring 15 times, Martial has also laid on 10 assists and that could kind of precision in front of goal could be just what Spurs need to go one step further.

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Versatility in attack

Normally lining up on the left side of attack which allows him to cut inside and attack, Martial is also able to operate as a centre-forward.

Argentine boss Pochettino is known for his constant tinkering of formation, using a 4-2-3-1, 3-4-2-1 and a 4-3-3 system last season.

Martial would be able to play in all three of those systems and more if brought to Spurs, allowing Pochettino to continue his tactical chopping and changing.

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Five Spurs attackers that could leave this summer

Spurs could be set for a summer clearout in the final third with a number of attackers likely to be in fear of Pochettino's transfer axe.

Despite being signed just last summer, Vincent Janssen, Georges N'Koudou and Moussa Sissoko have all flopped and they could be thrown on the Spurs scrapheap.

Along with the trio, Josh Onomah and Clinton N'Jie could also be sold and that would leave Spurs light in attack. Offering plenty of quality, Martial is also needed to provide depth.

In other Tottenham transfer news, Pochettino has received an emphatic response after tabling an offer for this Serie A attacker.

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