Sources: Tottenham line up January exits to fund January striker signing

Tottenham Hotspur are keen to add a proven top-level striker to their squad in the January transfer window, sources have told Football Insider.

The Lilywhites are hoping to boost Roberto De Zerbi's squad by signing a frontman who can come in and "hit the ground running."

Spurs spent in excess of £300million on new signings during the summer window, but only have Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush as direct striking options.

However, sources say that the club are aware that they will need to facilitate exits in order to fund a move for a new striker this winter.

The North London outfit are expecting to have a quieter window in January, and will focus on balancing out their spending with their sales.

De Zerbi's side currently sit bottom of the Premier League at the first international break, with their attacking options seriously under fire from fans.

Tottenham have cut their own striker depth

Tottenham have a limited number of striker options at the moment, and the decision to omit Richarlison from the Premier League squad has only exacerbated that further.

The Brazilian has been frozen out by De Zerbi and is effectively now dead weight at Spurs ahead of his contract expiring next summer.

There are already plans in place to rectify the lack of depth at the top of the pitch in January, but it will require sacrifices to be made.

Spurs offloaded eight players on permanent deals during the summer window, and they are expected to search for candidates to be sold once again.

They are trying to completely overhaul their squad for De Zerbi, with the attacking areas the next priority once the transfer window is open again.

Is Mauro Icardi an option for Tottenham?

Football Insider revealed on Monday that Tottenham are adamant that they won't make a move to sign free agent striker Mauro Icardi.

Reports in Italy have recently linked the Lilywhites with the 33-year-old, while Everton have also been tipped to make a move.

However, Spurs would not be able to register the former PSG and Inter star until January if they did bring him in, and that has ended their pursuit prematurely.

Sources say that Icardi's "most likely" destination right now is Serie A, where he has interest from several clubs, including Lazio.