Tottenham Battle Chelsea and United for Marseille Sensation - Report

Tottenham will have to fight with Chelsea and Manchester United for the signature of Marseille starlet Florian Thauvin, according to reports. Both London teams are said to have sent scouts to observe the forward and are planning to launch a summer bid to acquire his services.

The 21-year-old winger has garnered a reputation as one of the most prolific players in France, after impressing this season by scoring 6 goals and grabbing four assists in 17 starting Ligue 1 appearances.

According to French outlet RMC Sport, Totteham and Chelsea sent their scouts to the Velodrome Stadium earlier in February to watch Marseille's 3-0 victory over Bastia in order to monitor Thauvin's development. The player has also been linked with Manchester United.

The reports in France claim that although Tim Sherwood's side are in pole position to secure his services, Chelsea are interested in him and it is expected that both teams will again send their scouts to make an approach for the player.

During the last January trasnfer window, Tottenham were already heavily linked with the player, and reports indicated Spurs made a bid on deadline day in an offer that also included midfielder Etienne Capoue moving to the Velodrome.

Thauvin already scored 10 goals last year at Bastia, where he played on loan from Lille during the second part of the season. But after excelling in the Under-20 World Cup, Marseille signed him for around £11m with the player yet to make his full debut for Lille.

Marseille are not likely to part with the starlet but the Premier League giants are trying to temp the player to make the move to England, especially after being impressed with his performance against Napoli in the Champions League group stage this campaign, when he scored a goal and grabbed another assist despite his side losing 3-2.