Olympique Lyon have outbid Tottenham for Celta Vigo midfielder Pape Cheikh Diop.
The Daily Mail says Spurs offered close to £9 million for the 20-year-old midfielder last week and must find more before the La Liga club will agree to sell.
Lyon have opened with a larger bid and proposed a lucrative package of personal terms for Pape Cheikh.
Mauricio Pochettino is still waiting for his first signing of the summer but Tottenham are closing in on a number of targets with the deadline two weeks away.
Pape Cheikh has a £25m release clause in a contract which runs until 2021 although Lyon and Spurs are convinced he can be prised away from Celta Vigo for considerably less.