Tottenham interested in defender linked with Man City, Newcastle, FC Barcelona

According to a report from HITC, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in RB Salzburg star Samson Baidoo and have sent scouts out to Austria to watch him in action.

Although, they also report that Spurs will face competition from fellow Premier League sides Manchester City and Newcastle United to secure his services, as well as FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Borussia Dortmund also being admirers. It is said that Manchester City have kept tabs on Baidoo for the last 18 months.

Baidoo is a 20-year old Austrian centre-half, who has developed quickly at Austrian Bundesliga side RB Salzburg. He is an Austria U21 international, and made his debut for the senior team last October. He would have come up against Archie Gray earlier this month when facing England U21s at Kennilworth Road.

Spurs interested in RB Salzburg defender Samson Baidoo

Salzburg are known for their development of players, with the likes of Erling Haaland and Sadio Mane being developed there in recent times, as well as Dominik Szoboszlai and Dayot Upamecano. His central defensive partner last season, Stranhinja Pavlovic, was picked up by Italian giants AC Milan this summer, showing that Austrian Bundesliga players are trusted to make the step up to Europe's top five leagues.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig describes Baidoo as a "blend of intelligence and composure, with a good football IQ for winning duels, retrieving balls, and making plays from the back. Despite being a full-back, he has exceptional ball control. When given the space and time, he is not hesitant to carry the ball forward, and he tries to finish the run by making a line-breaking pass, switching sides, squaring it to a teammate, or even making a negative pass to the keeper in order to widen the area of play and create space for himself." You can read the full report on Baidoo here.

The defender's contract runs until 2027, so whilst there is no immediate reason to sell, by next summer when his contract is down to two years (should he not extend before then), Salzburg could see a chance to cash in and rebuild, as is part of the Red Bull philosophy.