Tottenham are stepping up their pursuit of Toulouse midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

The Times says Spurs have held talks with Sissoko's advisers after signing Patrick Vieira from Inter Milan became increasingly unlikely.

Sissoko, a France Under-21 midfield player, would not come cheap - Toulouse are likely to demand in excess of £12 million after the 19-year-old was compared with Mahamadou Diarra, the Real Madrid defensive midfield player.