Tottenham are said to be interested in an Arsenal target as they look to put together a much better campaign next time around, at least if they can beat the drop. Roberto De Zerbi finally has his first win at the club after seeing off Wolves over the weekend, but West Ham and Nottingham Forest also won, meaning the path to safety remains a complicated one.
But if Spurs do somehow manage to beat the drop, it's likely the club board will finally get the wake-up call they have needed, and significant investment into the playing squad is likely.
Some will be forced upon the club, with at least couple of key players likely to want to leave to play at the top level, while it's clear upgrades are needed in other positions.One of the latest linked is Sporting CP star Maxi Araujo, who has also been heavily linked with Arsenal.
Tottenham might not let Arsenal derail their transfer plans
In fact, Record report that Arsenal are in talks with the £61.9million-rated full-back, who can play as a left-back or a winger. The 26-year-old has managed six goals and four assists from full-back this season, attracting transfer attention aplenty.
His performances against Arsenal in the Champions League recently will only have helped, but it's no secret that the Gunners have soured their relationship with Sporting after the signing of Viktor Gyokeres last summer.
The negotiations between the two clubs dragged out for much of the summer, and the way the deal turned out saw Gyokeres go from being a fan favourite to enemy number one.
That could give Tottenham the in they need, with SportWitness reporting that Spurs are still very interest in the deal, with some hope among clubs that Araujo can be signed for £38.9million, although Sporting will of course try to maximise their profit.
A number of other Premier League sides are also said to be interested, and that could be a big problem for Tottenham given their recent plight.
But if they can stay in the Premier League and go on to make a significant statement by spending big this summer, there may be an exciting project they can sell to prospective new players.
Anything less, and it's likely Araujo and several other top targets will wind up in the hands of their rivals this summer. First, Tottenham must secure safety, and if they do not, the emphasis will be on cutting costs and selling players rather than investing in new ones.
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