Tottenham Hotspur could battle Arsenal for a versatile forward who has nine goal contributions already this season, but neither club will find a January deal straightforward.

If there is one priority for Tottenham to address in January, it is clear that it is to add more firepower to their forward line.

Mathys Tel, Omar Marmoush, Dominic Solanke, Savio and Mohammed Kudus have all yielded just four Premier League goals combined in their nine matches.

There are thus question marks over whether Spurs’ front three has enough goals in it, and the Lilywhites could turn to an Atletico Madrid star to solve that problem.

Tottenham could battle Arsenal for Atletico Madrid’s Alex Baena

It first emerged in October that Spurs are exploring a move for Alex Baena, who has had an excellent start to the season for Atletico Madrid.

The versatile forward’s preferred position is left-wing, but he can also operate as a 10 or a makeshift nine. Following his impressive showing at the World Cup, he has made a big impact in the Spanish capital.

Baena already has five goals and four assists so far this season, and a new update from TEAMtalk has said that Tottenham are not the only club whose eyes have been caught by the winger.

The outlet claims that De Zerbi’s men could face competition from Arsenal, who have had a long-standing interest in the 25-year-old, going back to when he was still at Villarreal.

The Gunners are now closely tracking Baena ahead of the January window, having been impressed by his rise.

Mikel Arteta’s side see the Spaniard as a versatile option to add depth to their attacking options and help them in their quest to retain the Premier League title.

January deal for Baena will not be easy

TEAMtalk reveal that Bayern Munich are the other side to have shown ‘serious interest’ in the former Villarreal man, with the German club already said to have made ‘initial movements’ towards the player in light of their injuries in attack.

However, it is revealed that Atletico are unwilling to sanction a mid-season sale of Baena, who has now established himself as a key cog in their attack.

Any move for the winger is said to be more realistic next summer. Diego Simeone’s side currently value Baena at around €80m (£67m), but that is expected to go up by the end of the season.