Mourinho edges Tottenham in to provide potential competition to Arsenal for signing

Arsenal remain interested in a move for Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng, but now face competition from Tottenham for his signature.

That’s according to Bild journalist Christian Falk, who covered the player’s situation as part of a conversation with the newspaper’s TV show ‘English week’.

He explained that Boateng ‘refuses to negotiate’ an extension to his deal with Bayern, which is set to expire next summer.

As such several Premier League sides have come to look at him again, with Arsenal and Tottenham named explicitly.

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Falk states that the Gunners were interested in the summer – indeed, we covered several reports of their interest from Germany – and remain interested in him despite signing the likes of Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba.

However, they now face competition from Tottenham, with the journalist claiming that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho ‘is watching the development’ ahead of a potential move.

That won’t be a surprise to many, particularly given Mourinho was reportedly keen on Boateng two years ago when he was in charge at Manchester United.

Now, there’s no claim that Tottenham or Arsenal will make a move for Boateng, who, it’s worth remembering, can negotiate with clubs come January, just that they are keeping an eye on his situation.

If he continues to refuse to sign a new deal, though, it seems inevitable this rumour will pick up in the next month as we near the winter transfer window.