Tottenham Hotspur have historically struggled to sign back-up for Harry Kane.
There have been various reasons given for the club’s failure to bring in potential forward acquisitions, from the lack of potential playing time, to the unwillingness to be a back-up to the England international.
It has usually meant that Spurs have relied on Son Heung-Min to fill the void, while Fernando Llorente was previously brought in as an experienced option who was willing to sit on the bench.
After the Spaniard left, however, they spent the best part of a season with nobody to offer support to the Three Lions captain.
This summer, though, they seem to have finally found an answer.
Daniel Levy struck a deal to sign Carlos Vinicius on an initial loan from Benfica, which could be turned into a permanent transfer in the summer, should he succeed.
It seems that Spurs were looking in January too, though, and one potential target, Islam Slimani, has confirmed that manager Jose Mourinho even spoke to him personally to try to sell him on a move.
The forward was on loan at Monaco from Leicester City at the time and no deal eventually materialised.
Speaking to France Football, via Sport Witness, he said: “In the space of six months, I went from the nightmare at Fenerbahçe to a phone call from José Mourinho who wanted to sign me.
"It shows that I worked well. Knowing that your profile is appreciated gives you strength and confidence.”
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
One can understand why Spurs were interested in Slimani.
The 32-year-old is something of a veteran and could have stepped into Llorente’s shoes quite simply in north London.
He also has a hefty pedigree, scoring 57 goals in 111 games for Sporting, 13 goals in 46 games for Leicester, and nine goals in 19 outings for Monaco.
Given that he was allowed to move out on loan by the Foxes, too, he could well have been available for a reduced fee; he is valued at £5.8m by Transfermarkt.
Of course, he did not end up in London, but the interest, at the very least, was logical.