Sources: Tottenham submit bid for Southampton star Thierry Small
Tottenham have submitted a bid for Southampton defender Thierry Small, sources have told Football Insider.
The London giants have made a move for the left-back, 18, as he weighs up multiple offers going into deadline day.
Southampton have signalled they are willing to let Small go before Tuesday night’s cut-off, either on loan or on a permanent deal.
However, they have not accepted Tottenham’s bid, who have been told they will need to increase it to secure a deal.
Small is also believed to have two loan offers on the table from Scottish Premiership clubs, one of which is understood to be St Mirren.
Spurs are keen on a permanent deal for Small, who they regard as a young player with huge potential and the ability to break into their first team even though he is being overlooked at the Saints.
The teenager is a left-back who can also operate at left wing-back as well as on the left side of a three-man defence, which is currently the club’s preferred playing system under Antonio Conte.
Tottenham performance director Gretar Steinsson is the driving force for the club’s interest in Small as he knows him well from former club Everton.
Small joined League One outfit Port Vale in the summer on a season-long loan but that deal was terminated in November, as first revealed by Football Insider, when Southampton activated their recall clause.
The £5million signing from Everton truggled for game time at the third-tier club, who already had two left-backs, his preferred position, when he signed.
The versatile teenager even played up front in the wins at Shrewsbury and Newcastle Town.
The England under-19 international was born in Solihull and was a youth player at West Brom before moving to Everton and becoming a regular for their Under-23s.
He became Everton’s youngest ever first team player, in January 2021, when he appeared in an FA Cup win against Sheffield Wednesday aged just 16 years and 176 days.
He joined Southampton on a three-year deal in August 2021.
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