Tottenham May Compete With Clubs Outside Premier League For 'Next Harry Kane,' Report Says

Tottenham Hotspur may have found their “next Harry Kane,” but the club may have to compete with two teams outside the Premier League in order to sign him.

The Spurs have been struggling this season. Recent reports revealed that Kane has grown unhappy with the club’s failures. Football Inside suggested that Tottenham should be worried about Kane’s dissatisfaction with the club as Real Madrid and Manchester United are said to be interested in signing the prolific striker. Conveniently, Spurs recruiters reportedly found some notable youngsters who could someday become the club’s future Kane.

According to Teamtalk, Tottenham is planning to take advantage of Wigan’s financial situation by snapping up a pair of youngsters from the Championship club. Its financial situation has led to many of Wigan’s first-team players becoming available this summer, and two of them are 18-year-olds Joe Gelhardt and Jensen Weir.

Tottenham has apparently been impressed by Gelhardt’s form, with Spurs scouts reportedly assuming he could be “groomed into the next Kane.”

At a young age, Gelhardt has been drawing interest from Premier League clubs. Aside from Tottenham, Everton is also said to be taking a close look at his progress. Sources claimed that Wigan has even admitted it has already received an “official approach” for Gelhardt.

Just a few days after reports of Tottenham being interested in Gelhardt emerged, another report now said that EFL clubs Leeds United and Celtic have joined the race to sign the highly-rated Wigan attacker.

Gelhardt is expected to be one of the club's most in-demand players after Wigan hinted about the availability of their players in the transfer market. Tottenham, Everton and Southampton are all linked to the youngster, with the Spurs reportedly leading the chase.

The English forward has only scored one league goal in 17 appearances for Wigan’s first team. However, he has already racked up 19 goals in 27 caps for England across various youth levels.

Gelhardt, who is described to be at his best while playing upfront or out wide, currently has one year left on his deal with the Latics. Along with Wigan’s financial issues, this timeframe may give suitors a signal to bargain for Gelhardt.

In an attempt to improve their squad, both Leeds and Celtic are believed to be keen on adding attacking reinforcements. Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa is reportedly looking to increase his goal-scoring options ahead of a return to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Celtic continues to be concerned whether or not current goal scorer Odsonne Edouard could serve the club long-term.