The disparity between last summer's transfer window and this one is stark for Tottenham Hotspur.

Last term, they broke their transfer record to bring Tanguy Ndombele and over the course of the entire season, they spent around £133m according to Transfermarkt.

Fast forward to the current day, and Spurs have splashed out just £27m.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Matt Doherty represent bargains while Joe Hart was the ultimate freebie, arriving on a Bosman.

Daniel Levy has been a shrewd operator in the market this summer and he has had to calm himself a little.

Spurs simply don't have the money to splash like they did a year ago. The ongoing pandemic hasn't been kind to the club's finances and they had to secure a loan of £175m a few months ago.

This isn't the sign of a club who harbour ambitions of getting back in the Champions League. 

Daniel Levy

Fortunately, their squad still looks strong, but it would be extremely surprising if they challenged the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United for the top four. 

Despite that, Levy is still in the market to secure another bargain.

According to Spanish publication Sport, the Lilywhites have submitted a bid for Barcelona starlet Lucas de Vega. 

That was believed to be in the region of €2m (£1.7m) but Barca have ultimately rejected it.

They see Lucas as an important part of their B team and want to keep hold of him because of new regulations brought in for lower league football in Spain.

Barca B see the 20-year-old as an important part of the team and don't really want to sell. Saying that, if Spurs bid double the price they may relax their stance on the Brazilian.

It's thought that Lucas currently has a £90m release clause with the Catalans. 

La Masia

GIVEMESPORT'S Matt Dawson says...

This signing would be a massive kick in the face for Oliver Skipp.

The 19-year-old made his breakthrough with Spurs last season and went onto feature ten times for the senior side.

However, he has been sent out on loan to Norwich this term where he should stand a much better opportunity of furthering his development.

Despite all of that, he could have his place in the Spurs first-team instantly taken away.

Oliver Skipp

Lucas is capable of playing as a no. 10 but also further back in the midfield and at 20 years of age, is at a similar stage of his career to Skipp.

Of course, he's learned his trade in Barcelona's famous La Masia but with funds tight, surely Spurs are better investing in the long-term future of Skipp, rather than splashing out on an unproven Barcelona prodigy.

Lucas spent last term on loan at Cartagena but started just 17 league outings and scored once in the process. That was in the third tier of Spanish football too.