Tottenham Hotspur appear to be stepping up their search to find a suitable successor to Harry Kane, amid reports that the Lilywhites have held talks regarding a deal for Gent starlet, Gift Orban.
What's the latest on Orban to Tottenham?
According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the north London outfit are said to have made "contact" with the Belgian side amid their interest in the Nigerian marksman, with Ange Postecoglou and co seemingly ready to fork out around €30m (£26m) for the 21-year-old sensation.
Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider revealed: "#Tottenham in contact with #KAAGent for Gift Orban! #Spurs could go as high as €30M (including bonuses) according to the latest oral discussions undertaken with their Belgian counterparts. The profile of the Nigerian striker has been validated by Ange Postecoglou.
"The green light to send the written offer is obviously linked to the Harry Kane affair. The English are anticipating the market by paying €30m in 2023 than have to offer the double once Orban has exploded in an intermediate league… Wait&See."
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As Tavolieri noted, a deal for the former Stabaek ace is likely to be tied to the future of Kane, with talks continuing regarding the Englishman's potential move to Bayern Munich, despite the German giants having seen their latest £86m offer rebuffed.
How good is Gift Orban?
As the Independent's Miguel Delaney previously suggested, it is unlikely that Spurs will look for a direct replacement for Kane this summer, with the likelihood being that Postecoglou will instead seek to establish a more 'fluid' forward line instead.
Young Orban could represent the figurehead of that new-look attacking unit, with the 5 foot 10 speedster having proven his goalscoring credentials during his time in Norway and Belgium to date, after bagging 41 goals in just 48 club career games in total.
Undoubtedly something of a "poacher" – according to talent scout Jacek Kulig – a further benefit of the Gent ace is his devastating speed and threat in behind, having been hailed for his "electric pace & acceleration" by Kulig.
The Benue State-born marksman could well be joined in the frontline by another dynamic, pacy asset in the form of fellow Tottenham target, Brennan Johnson, with the latter man – who has been valued at around £50m by current club Nottingham Forest – having seemingly caught the eye of Postecoglou and co.
As his compatriot Joe Allen previously stated, Johnson's pace is simply "frightening", with that natural gift having made him a real weapon for Steve Cooper in the Premier League last season, as he scored eight goals and provided three assists to help Forest stave off the drop.
A real goal threat like Orban, the 22-year-old also boasts the benefit of his ability to drive forward with the ball at his feet as he ranks in the top 10% among forwards in Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries, ensuring he could easily stretch the pitch for Spurs in a rapid breakaway – with his Nigerian counterpart also a "counter-attacking threat", according to Kulig.
As Johnson also proved during the 2021/22 campaign in the Championship, he could be the man to deliver quality service to Orban in the final third, with the Wales international creating 15 'big chances' and racking up ten assists to fire the Tricky Trees to promotion.
That creative prowess could ensure that the Nottingham native is able to regularly tee up Orban over the coming years at N17, with the latter man likely to be able to continue his remarkable goalscoring exploits.