Tottenham Face Fight To Land Willian-Replacement Target In January – Report

Tottenham face a fight from Lazio in their hopes of landing Hernanes in January with the Serie A side's sporting director claiming they will work hard to keep him amid speculation of a possible exit.

Spurs were believed to be pursuing Hernanes towards the end of the summer after Willian rejected a move to north London to join Chelsea, with Andre Villas-Boas hoping to build on their midfield line-up and add to their Brazilian contingent.

After already signing Paulinho in the summer the Portuguese manager reportedly believes he has a good chance of convincing Hernanes to make the move to Tottenham, but Lazio's Igli Tare insisted that despite the star receiving limited game time recently he sees his future with the Italian outfit.

"Despite his inconsistency, Hernanes remains a fundamental player for us," he said.

"You just have to think back to the goals he has scored. Every time that I have spoken to him or his agent, I have been given the impression that he sees this as his home.

"He knows what Lazio can give him, what he can have in Rome. It is vital for us that we can guarantee him an important team. You never know what will happen in life and one day he could move somewhere else, but that day is still a long way off."

Tottenham's failure to land Willian was a major blow for the club who had already completed a medical with the player before Chelsea came in at the last minute to derail the deal.

They still signed eight players throughout the summer transfer window but January looks set to be another busy month for Villas-Boas as he continues to rebuild the squad to his liking.

And with Lazio hoping to hold on to Hernanes, Tottenham may have to repeat their willingness to spend big like they did in the summer in order to land the 28-year-old.