Tottenham Hotspur will reportedly look to sign 22-year-old French defender Maxime Esteve from EFL Championship club Burnley before Monday’s winter transfer deadline.
According to a report by French outlet L’Equipe, Maxime Esteve is the subject of interest from Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites have been scouring the market for a centre-back ahead of Monday’s winter transfer deadline. So, the Burnley defender has emerged as a target for the North London outfit.
The report has claimed that the North London giants have submitted a bid worth £20 million to sign the Frenchman from the EFL Championship club before the winter transfer window shuts down. However, the Clarets are demanding around £30 million to part ways with the young centre-back this month.
Who is Maxime Esteve?
Maxime Esteve has been a dependable performer since joining Burnley from Montpellier last year. A native of Montpellier, the 22-year-old centre-back spent his formative years in his homeland, passing through the academies at three clubs and graduating from the youth division at Montpellier HSC.
Burnley initially signed the French defender on loan in February 2024 before completing a permanent move in the subsequent summer transfer window. The highly-rated centre-back has turned out nearly 50 times thus far for the EFL Championship outfit. Meanwhile, his progress has not gone unnoticed, capturing the attention of several well-known Premier League clubs.
Premier League return on the horizon?
Recent reports have linked Maxime Esteve with Everton and West Ham United. However, Tottenham Hotspur will look to beat the competition to the Burnley defender’s signature, having submitted a bid worth £20 million to sign him. However, the Lilywhites are well below the Clarets’ asking price, with the EFL Championship club demanding around £30 million to part ways with him this month.
While Kevin Danso has joined Tottenham on loan from RC Lens, the Lilywhites are keen on reinforcing their central defensive unit further. With Radu Dragusin seeing his campaign end prematurely and Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven struggling with persistent issues this term, Tottenham can do with a new central defender.
So, Esteve has emerged as a viable target for Tottenham, especially with moves for Marc Guehi and Fikayo Tomori failing. So, it will be interesting to see if Tottenham can land Esteve after offering £20 million to sign the £30 million-rated French defender from EFL Championship club Burnley.