Tottenham will push to sign a striker this month as they react to the long‑term absence of Harry Kane and have joined the chase for Milan’s Krzysztof Piatek.

Milan, who have re-signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic, are prepared to sell Piatek, a 24-year-old Poland forward, if they can recoup the £30m they paid to take him from Genoa last January.

An expensive permanent deal would not appear to suit Spurs or, indeed, Newcastle and Aston Villa, who have also shown an interest in Piatek. The Premier League clubs would prefer a loan. Milan do not want that but it remains to be seen whether their position changes in the countdown to the 31 January deadline.

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Spurs have lost Kane to a hamstring tear until the beginning of March at least, leaving José Mourinho without a recognised, senior centre-forward. The manager complained after the 1-1 FA Cup draw at Middlesbrough on Sunday that the team were “playing without a striker”.

Mourinho wants to make signings during the mid-season window but he knows funds are tight and much will depend on the thinking of the chairman, Daniel Levy. The future of Christian Eriksen is another important factor. If Spurs were to sell the Denmark midfielder, who is out of contract in the summer, they would have greater room for manoeuvre.

Internazionale are considering a £20m bid for Eriksen with the Italian club’s chief executive, Giuseppe Marotta, having described him as an “important and interesting player”. Eriksen’s options would be broader as a free agent. The Inter manager, Antonio Conte, also likes the Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal.

Spurs’ line for January is that if the right player were to be available and represented a sound long-term investment rather than a quick fix, they could consider it, albeit it would be easier to do so with money from a potential Eriksen sale. Mourinho hopes there could yet be room for a smart and opportunistic addition, particularly as injuries bite.

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Kane’s pre-eminence at Spurs means it is difficult for them to attract other strikers and Piatek is not agitating to leave Milan, even though he has struggled for goals this season. He will see how Ibrahimovic’s arrival plays out with the manager, Stefano Pioli, saying he could now use a system with two strikers. Equally, Piatek might see the appeal of a short-term move to Spurs and so might Milan. He would stand to have opportunity in Kane’s absence, including in the Champions League last-16 tie against RB Leipzig, and his value could rise for Milan.

Mourinho is open to offers for the right-back Kyle Walker-Peters, having selected the 22-year-old in only three of his 12 matchday squads. Walker‑Peters’s only action came as a starter in the Champions League dead rubber at Bayern Munich, which finished in a 3-1 defeat.