Tottenham Hotspur ‘should definitely’ have Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu and Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi on their transfer wish list, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Spurs are believed to be in the market for a new centre-back when the summer window opens and have been linked to several intriguing options in recent months.

What is the latest news involving Tottenham?

Since Conte’s arrival back in November, Tottenham have almost exclusively lined up with three central defenders on the pitch, either in a 3-4-3 or a 5-3-2 formation.

However, full-back Ben Davies has been forced to fill in in an unfamiliar centre-back role due to there being no natural left-footed options within Conte’s current first-team squad.

That has led to several reports suggesting the capital club are scouring the market for a player more accomplished in that role, and the impressive form of Salisu and Guehi could mean that they’re viable targets.

Salisu is enjoying a stellar season for the Saints after a tricky maiden campaign on English shores and is putting in some outstanding underlying numbers.

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As per FBref, the 22-year-old has ranked in the 97th percentile for tackles, 91st for blocks, 90th for aerials won, 89th for clearances and 86th for interceptions compared to players in his position over the last year.

Meanwhile, Guehi – who is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt – has averaged 3.5 clearances and 0.7 blocks per league game this season, placing him in the top two amongst his Palace teammates for both metrics.

What has O’Rourke said about Spurs?

Salisu – who is valued at £9m – is perhaps the more likely to make the switch to Spurs, given he is left-footed, unlike Guehi, and has two fewer years left on his contract.

But O’Rourke believes Tottenham’s director of football Fabio Paratici and Conte may search for players in their native Italy when the market reopens.

He told GiveMeSport: “I think they should definitely be on their list, but I'm sure Paratici and Conte might be looking elsewhere, especially in Italy, where they've done a lot of their shopping recently.”

Who else could Spurs buy?

According to The Telegraph, Spurs are keeping close tabs on Alessandro Bastoni of Inter, Lille’s Sven Botman and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol.

An alternative option is believed to be Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie, with Football Insider claiming the north London outfit are taking a keen interest in him.

It remains to be seen who Tottenham make a move for ahead of next season, but signing a new centre-back appears to be amongst Conte’s top priorities.