West Brom Join Tottenham Hotspur in Race to Sign £13.5m-Rated Dinamo Zagreb Defender

Tottenham Hotspur will face stern competition from West Bromwich Albion in their bid to sign Dinamo Zagreb's £13.5m-rated defender Filip Benkovic.

The 20-year-old - according to a report published by Daily Mail - has supposedly been linked towards a summer move to Spurs, although now that the Baggies have allegedly entered the battle for his signature, the north Londoners will have to move fast if they're to button down his services once and for all.

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West Brom may see themselves as the frontrunners in the race, however, as the opportunity for more first team opportunities for Benkovic under Tony Pulis is seemingly more plausible, with Tottenham's defensive ranks already well established.

Pulis has been looking for a central-defensive partner for Jonny Evans; Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson is said to have been a possible target, but now, the young Croatian is thought to be the more economic choice of the two.

Pulis is looking for a defender who can play for the club for years to come, and as Benkovic is young and highly adaptable, the former Stoke City boss has pinpointed him as a suitable option.

Benkovic still has over four years left on his current contract at the Stadion Maksimir, and while Zagreb are understandably reluctant to lose the fledgling centre-half, they presumably won't stand in his way if the right offer is tabled.

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Making 48 senior appearances for Zagreb, Benkovic is also a Croatian U21 representative and is regarded as a deeply promising prospect.

Experience in the Champions League is also under his belt, so if West Brom are indeed to fend off Spurs' advances, they'll ultimately have to persuade Benkovic that European football at Wembley working alongside Mauricio Pochettino next term is not necessarily the next big step in his developing career.