Tottenham compete with Arsenal to sign Spanish winger Ander Barrenetxea

According to reports from The Sun, both Tottenham and their North London rivals, Arsenal, are pursuing La Liga winger Ander Barrenetxea.

For Arsenal, the player is seen as someone who can provide necessary competition for Gabriel Martinelli, the Brazilian winger who's regularly found playing time for the Gunners over the past few years, but whose performance has waned this season.

For Tottenham, the story is different. The injury-riddled squad has been looking for reinforcements all over the pitch, and with Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon still out and Son Heung-min away on international duty this month, a winger like Ander Barrenetxea could be an important signing.

Barrenetxea has played in 22 matches for Real across all competitions this season, netting four goals and two assists across them. While his stats may not hold a candle to those of current Spurs attackers like Son Heung-min and Richarlison, his wealth of professional experience at such a young age may be enough to justify bringing him into the world's toughest division of football.

The player made his debut for the Spanish club at just 16-years-old, and since that fateful day he's appeared in 136 matches for the team, accumulating 5,717 minutes of professional play. Barrenetxea also offers incredible versatility in his ability to play on both wings.

Transfermarkt currently values the attacker at £17m, however that price could surely rise as the two English clubs begin to submit their formal bids. His contract with Real is currently set to run until 2027, which could just as equally factor into a higher-than-market valuation.

As the Sun reports, both camps sent scouts to watch Barrenetxea play in the Basque derby just a few days ago, where the winger's side fell 2-1. New information on the deals and respective interest from the clubs could arise in the coming days with the transfer window set to close in less than two weeks.