Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur will create a dossier on Bristol City midfielder Alex Scott before deciding whether to pursue a move for the teenager, according to this morning's report from Football Insider.
The 18-year-old was one of the Robins' shining lights during the 2021/22 campaign, becoming a regular starter under Nigel Pearson and registering four goals and two assists in 38 league appearances.
His progress has been noticed by several top-tier sides ahead of the summer window with Everton and Leicester City also thought to be keeping tabs on his current situation at Ashton Gate.
In a smart move from the second-tier side, they moved to tie Scott down to a new four-year contract last year to keep him at the club until the summer of 2025, enabling them to maximise his price tag in the summer as they look to fend off interest in his services.
However, the club are also wary about profitability and sustainability restrictions and may be working within a very limited budget this summer unless they cash in on one of their prized assets, with Han Noah-Massengo another player who is reported to be attracting interest from the top flight.
An official approach from Spurs regarding Scott's services may not be coming anytime soon though with their former manager David Pleat actively working on a dossier before they make any decision on a potential offer.
The Verdict:
Considering some of their other young additions in the past haven't worked out, including Jack Clarke, they will be keen to get the best possible analysis of him before deciding whether he's ready to come to the English capital.
They are likely to be forking out an eight-figure fee if they are to lure him away from Ashton Gate considering the length of his contract and the Robins' power at the negotiating table, so they can't afford not to do their due diligence.
Although it's good that Antonio Conte's side want to build for the future, you can't help but think they should be opting against this move at this stage if they aren't going to utilise him regularly, not just for their sake but also the player.
Thankfully, the teenager seems pretty level-headed about the speculation surrounding his future and if he takes this mindset into the summer and beyond, he will go on to have a successful career with playing time seemingly his priority.
So for all parties, this move probably isn't for the best at this stage and if the Robins are looking to offload a player in their quest to balance the books, perhaps Massengo should be the man to go.