Tottenham in contact for Edmond Tapsoba transfer as Leverkusen price set

Tottenham Hotspur may not be done adding to their centre-back department this summer.

Roberto De Zerbi has already brought Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi to N17 in this transfer window.

However, with Cristian Romero leaving for Atletico Madrid and Ashley Phillips to Middlesbrough, gaps have once again appeared in this area.

Xavi Simons is the last player Tottenham signed from the German Bundesliga, but that could be about to change.

Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba has long-established himself as one of the best centre-backs in German football.

However, the 44-cap Burkina Faso international may now be destined to bring his talent to North London.

How much do Bayer Leverkusen want for Tottenham-linked Edmond Tapsoba?

Now 27, Tapsoba is firmly in his prime and is playing arguably the best football of his career right now.

Last season saw him score five goals and provide three assists from 44 total appearances: both the best single-season returns in his Leverkusen career.

He joined Leverkusen in January 2020 from Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes, and has since made 270 competitive appearances for them.

But, Fussballdaten has now reported that Tapsoba holds a desire to seek pastures new this summer.

The report claims that Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham are among the sides in talks with Tapsoba's camp as they try to gauge his interest.

Leverkusen will reportedly pick up the phone to interest, but won't sell their star defender for less than £42.7million.

It's suggested that a move to the Premier League feels likely so long as the asking price is met.

But why is Tapsoba's contract situation set to ensure Tottenham must pay a premium price for the defender if they want him?

When does Tapsoba's Leverkusen contract expire?

Perhaps armed with the knowledge of summer transfer interest arriving for him, Leverkusen took recent contract action with Tapsoba.

Indeed, they inked him to a fresh five-year extension in April this year, tying him down with them until the summer of 2031.

As a result, Leverkusen now hold all the cards when it comes to holding out for the biggest possible fee they can get for him.

So if Tottenham want to bring Tapsoba to N17 before the window shuts, they are going to have to stump up the cash.

He could be a perfect fit under De Zerbi though, as per FotMob, no Bundesliga centre-back completed more passes than his 2,191 last term.