Tottenham are considering players plus cash swap for Wigan Athletic star James McCarthy. The Mirror claims the FA Cup winners are looking for a £20m fee for the Ireland midfielder, which the north London club are unwilling to meet.

James McCarthy
Reuters

According to the report, Andre Villas-Boas' side are likely to use their striker Harry Kane and some of their fringe players as bait to bring McCarthy to White Hart Lane. The midfielder is keen on making a switch to London and his family have already gone on house hunting in England's capital.

Owen Coyle took in charge of the managerial role at Wigan after Roberto Mancini joined Everton earlier in the transfer window. The Toffees were believed to be interested in signing Wigan star, but the Liverpool Echo claims the midfielder's asking price and Spur's interest has been the roadblock for them in making an approach.

The former Bolton manager is unlikely to accept Spurs' players plus cash deal and will not let McCarthy leave the DW Stadium unless suitable buyers meet their asking price. However, Spurs consider the midfielder to be around £12m, including a few of their fringe players moving in the other direction.

McCarthy has been one of the standout performers for Wigan, making 38 league starts during the last season. He was also a part of the squad which defeated Manchester City in the FA Cup finals. However, his individual brilliance could not help him save the Latics from being relegated to the Championship.

The north London side signed Paulinho from Corinthians and added another player to their squad as the north London club confirmed the signing of Dutch winger Nacer Chadli from FC Twente.

Meanwhile, AVB revealed his side were long been following their latest addition and his versatile style of play would benefit Spurs.

"Chadli's a player we've been following for quite some time and we managed to strike a deal in the last few days," AVB said.

"He's a player who is extremely versatile and can play in several positions up front. He played with tremendous success on the left for Twente as a winger and as an attacker for Belgium. We look forward to having him on board with us," he added.

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