Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou moved to bolster his defensive options in the January transfer window with the signing of Radu Dragusin from Genoa.

The Romania international joined on a permanent deal to add further depth to the club's central defensive unit, alongside Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

It was reported last month that Spurs are planning to sign another left-footed centre-back, as they currently have two right-sided stoppers - Romero and Dragusin - and one left-sided titan in Van de Ven.

The Lilywhites are now reportedly plotting their first signing of the upcoming summer transfer window to address exactly that for Postecoglou.

According to the Turin edition of La Repubblica, as relayed by Sport Witness, Spurs have been moving under the radar, in secret, in an attempt to win the race for Torino star Alessandro Buongiorno.

The report claims that the club are in pole position to secure his services but they are not the only interested party ahead of the summer.

AC Milan, Juventus and Inter are all also said to be eyeing up a possible swoop to sign the central defender to bolster their respective squads.

It states that Torino are not willing to let the impressive defender depart for less than €35m (£30m), and that valuation could soar if they qualify for European competition for next season.

Sport Witness also quotes the article as revealing Buongiorno is "destined" to be a transfer target for half of Europe, which suggests that the defender could be on his way out of his current club this summer as interest builds in his services.

Spurs are seemingly working away in the background to lay the groundwork for a possible deal, moving in secret to gain an edge over the opposition, but it remains to be seen whether or not they are prepared to match the £30m price tag.

How Alessandro Buongiorno compares to Micky van de Ven

The left-footed colossus could be brought in to provide Van de Ven with competition for the left-sided centre-back role within Postecoglou's system.

Based on their respective form in the Premier League and Serie A this season, Buongiorno could be the man to go for in big matches when Spurs will need more defensive actions from their stars.

As you can see in the table above, the Italy international has made far more tackles and interceptions per game to win possession back for his side, by cutting out opposition attacks.

However, the 24-year-old star has only made 2.19 progressive passes per 90 in the Serie A this season - ranking within the bottom 16% of his positional peers.

Whereas, Van de Ven ranks within the top 26% of Premier League centre-backs for progressive passes per 90 (4.05), which suggests that he has the edge over Buongiorno when it comes to playing out from the back to break down stubborn defences.

Therefore, the £30m-rated ace could be a fantastic alternative option for Spurs in that position as he has different strengths to the Dutch speedster that would allow the team to diversify their style of play, or how they defend at least, throughout the season.