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AC Milan are readying an offer for Tottenham Hotspur right-back Serge Aurier which could spark movement at the north London club, football.london understands.

The 27-year-old Ivory Coast captain has been a regular under Jose Mourinho, with the new Spurs boss utilising a system which puts less defensive responsibility on the right-back after shaky performances at the back under his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino.

The defender has a mixed relationship with the Spurs fanbase and Aurier had told the north London club that he wanted to leave in the summer, despite the sale of Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid. Serie A giants AC Milan were one of the sides who showed the biggest interest in the Ivorian.

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Now football.london understands the Italian outfit are weighing up a £15m offer for Aurier to add extra competition in the position, along with Andrea Conti and Davide Calabria, for head coach Stefano Pioli.

The main issue for Milan is that they believe they could be priced out of a transfer in this window for Aurier, who had two and a half years remaining on the contract he signed when he joined Spurs from PSG in the summer of 2017, because of the upheaval his departure would cause this month and Tottenham are looking for closer to the £25m they spent on the Ivorian.

"I was looking for an exit [from Spurs], so I couldn't play," Aurier had admitted earlier in the season after being left out of Spurs' early games of the campaign.

"When you're trying to move, you can't play because an injury or whatever else can scupper everything. I wanted to leave so it was normal for me not to be on the pitch.

"That desire to leave, I think it's a bit normal. I'm an important player of the national team. I'm not 20 anymore and I need to play, to be happy."

One route for Milan would be to use Tottenham's interest in striker Krzysztof Piatek. The 24-year-old Poland international has struggled for goals and starts this season after his previous campaign which brought 30 goals in all competitions in Italy.

Milan are willing to let him move on, particularly with the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but have thus far resisted Spurs' attempts to sign Piatek on loan and are looking for a fee of close to £30m for a permanent move.

Mourinho did not deny the club's interest in the player last week, only stating that he did not feel it was right to speak about him.

Tottenham are looking for a striker to add to their squad following Harry Kane's injury which will keep him out until April at the earliest and Mourinho has bemoaned the fact that the club only had one senior striker on their books in the first place.

If Spurs were to lower their demands and accept a bid for Aurier it would create a problem at right-back with their only other natural right-back Kyle Walker-Peters closing in on a move out of the club.

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admitted last week that the Eagles are "working hard" to try to bring in the young defender.

Tottenham's preference would be to bring in a British right-back to replace Walker-Peters to ensure they continue to adhere to homegrown rules in the Premier League and in Europe.

Spurs have looked closely at Norwich City's Max Aarons and West Bromwich Albion teenager Nathan Ferguson as potential replacements.

Any potential Aurier sale as well as Walker-Peters exit would mean drastic changes at right-back. Other candidates for the role such as Juan Foyth and Japhet Tanganga can play in the role as converted centre-backs but would not provide the attacking intent Mourinho wants from the player in the position.

It may well be decided that a summer move is best for all parties and that other positions are more of a priority during this window.

Mourinho said on Friday: "I think this market in January is a strange market. Sometimes the opportunities are there and sometimes they are not there.

"Sometimes clubs are ready to sell or loan and sometimes club are not. It's not an easy one. It is just the window of opportunity and sometimes the opportunity is there and sometimes it is not."

Spurs are monitoring the situation with Sporting star Bruno Fernandes, a player they had agreed terms with in the summer but did not end up signing due to Christian Eriksen remaining at the club.

Inter Milan are trying to thrash out a deal with Eriksen and also Tottenham to sign the player this month rather than wait until the summer.

"If you ask me if I think this is the best Christian Eriksen I have to be honest and say no. If you ask me if I know the reasons, I am not an idiot, I am in football for many years and know clearly a player in this situation is not a player that is even if he wants," said Mourinho, who reiterated that he knows what the Dane's future holds.

A deal involving Foyth heading the other way on loan has been mooted but Tottenham fear losing out to the financial muscle of Manchester United, who are hunting for an attacking midfielder and can offer a far bigger salary to the Portugal international.

With one eye on the future. Tottenham are also monitoring young British players in the Championship, including QPR's versatile 19-year-old attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze.

Hull City midfielder Jarrod Bowen has also been watched again this season, while in League One, Spurs have interest, among many others, in Peterborough's 17-year-old midfield prospect Ricky-Jade Jones, who has burst onto the scene in the past month, scoring against Burnley in the FA Cup.

Tottenham are close to sealing one midfield signing with Benfica's Gedson Fernandes at Hotspur Way on Monday completing his medical ahead of an 18-month loan move with an option to make the 21-year-old's move a permanent one down the line.