Tottenham Hotspur have joined Arsenal and Chelsea in the race for Serie A striker Gustavo Varela amid his superb form in Italy, according to a report.

Varela is a 6ft centre-forward who was born in Lisbon and spent time developing in the academy setups of Sporting, Greek club PAOK and Benfica. He left Benfica’s reserve team in July when Italian club Monza paid just €2.5million (£2m) to land him.

That has proven to be incredible value, as the 21-year-old has been red-hot in front of goal so far this season.

He has scored 11 times in just 10 appearances for Monza so far, which includes nine strikes in nine Serie A outings.

Varela is impressing against Italy’s biggest sides, too, having found the back of the net against Inter, Napoli and Bologna.

Varela’s contract with Monza runs until June 2030, but it surely will not be too long before he secures a move to a bigger club.

German source Fussball News claim the chase to sign him is heating up, with Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund all involved.

Bundesliga clubs Dortmund and RB Leipzig are ‘closely monitoring’ Varela, but they are facing ‘fierce competition’ from English sides.

Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Brighton have added him to their ‘watch lists’, with interest from England described as ‘particularly strong’.

The report adds: ‘Chelsea and Arsenal, in particular, are said to have scouted Varela on several occasions. His physical development and finishing ability are the main focus of these assessments.’

Monza want at least €20m (£17m) to sell the Portugal U21 international in January.

Given the current state of the transfer market, that could be a bargain price for an in-form striker. However, it would still see Monza earn almost 10 times what they originally paid for him.

Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush are the main strikers currently available to Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi. Richarlison is also on Spurs’ books, but he is expected to be sold in January after failing to make their Premier League squad.

Tottenham want new striker

De Zerbi is searching for a new No 9 to push Marmoush and also provide cover if Solanke’s injury problems return.

Varela is an exciting young option, but he is not the only forward Spurs are looking at.

They have joined rivals Arsenal in targeting Bournemouth sensation Eli Junior Kroupi. However, we confirmed on Tuesday that Bournemouth will not sell Kroupi in January.

Bournemouth will only consider offers for the Frenchman next summer, and they want £80-100m to sell.

We revealed on September 9 that Spurs and Manchester United are showing interest in coveted Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi.

Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis and Younes Ebnoutalib of Eintracht Frankfurt are also on Spurs’ radar.