Tottenham have held talks with Juventus about signing midfielder Weston McKennie, according to The Independent.
What's the latest transfer news involving Weston McKennie?
Despite only officially being signed by Juventus permanently in March following a loan agreement with Schalke the summer prior, it appears McKennie could soon depart Turin.
Aston Villa and Tottenham were both mentioned as potential suitors earlier this month with Max Allegri reportedly not convinced about having the American in his squad.
The prospect of a move to north London has now ramped up as The Independent are reporting Tottenham have held talks with the Serie A giants over a possible deal.
They claim there is reportedly a growing belief that an agreement may reached for less than £40m - however, Fabrizio Romano has since insisted Spurs would only be interested in signing McKennie initially on loan.
Does Fabio Paratici give Tottenham a unique advantage?
Apparently so. Paratici obviously has a working relationship with Juventus, having spent eleven years with the Old Lady before taking the Director of Football post at Tottenham this summer.
Furthermore, The Independent name Paratici as the man who brought McKennie to Turin originally, assumingly striking up the deal with his former employers from the Bundesliga.
Accordingly, The Independent claim Juve's relationship with Paratici 'naturally helps'.
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What is McKennie's pedigree?
Allegri may not be convinced by McKennie but he's a young talent with a lot of potential.
At 22 years of age, he's already played for two clubs with big reputations in Schalke and Juve, so he knows what it's like to perform for teams that come under pressure to succeed.
Likewise, he was very much a shining light at Schalke during their decline, popping up with four assists in 2018/19 and three goals in 2019/20 despite being amongst the youngest players in their squad. Last season, meanwhile, he netted five times in Serie A.
At 22, Mckennie has already made 13 Champions League appearances and picked up 24 caps for the USA.
Young players receiving that level of exposure at the top end of senior football usually suggests a future star in the making.
What could Spurs' midfield look like with McKennie in the side?
Nuno Santo has deployed a 4-3-3 system in both of Tottenham's Premier League fixtures so far this season with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Dele Alli flanking Oliver Skipp.
Should Spurs sign McKennie, who is primarily a box-to-box midfielder, we could see the more youthful Skipp pushed down the pecking order, with the more experienced Hojbjerg taking his role as the midfield pivot.
Nonetheless, McKennie would be a signing that gives Nuno another option and fleshes out the squad - that will be crucial during his first season at Spurs, as the new manager looks to work out his best starting XI formula.