Tottenham are planning a summer move for young Italian goalkeeper Marco Silvestri, according to the Metro.

Andre Villas-Boas
Reuters

It is believed the 21-year-old Italian will join as understudy to and eventual replacement for American Brad Friedel, who turns 42 in May. Andre Villas-Boas signed French international Hugo Lloris, 25, in the summer. And it is the Frenchman who, after a rocky start, is the present No 1 at White Hart Lane.

Silvestri is highly regarded in Italy and is presently on loan to Serie B side Padova, from his parent club Chievo. And if he does join, he will have to accept he is third-choice at north London, which may be a problem because he is still in his development stage and needs regular game time to progress.

AVB's long-term strategy is to bolster Spurs' defensive options. The ex-Chelsea boss introduced Belgian international Jan Vertonghen in the summer and the 25-year-old has rapidly established himself as one of the best defenders in the league.

And with aspirations of playing in the Champions League from next season, AVB knows he will have to drastically improve his back-line, to contain attacking threats from sides like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, on a more immediate note, AVB takes his men to Anfield on Sunday, for a crucial league game. Tottenham are third in the table, with a 10-point gap to the Reds. A win will increase pressure on Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton, who, with Spurs, are fighting for the two remaining Champions League qualifying positions in the league.

Gareth Bale on Inter Milan Win

Spurs' goal-scoring star, Gareth Bale, said the key to the impressive 3-0 win over Inter Milan, in the first leg of a Europa League knock-out tie, was a fast start.

"We played well thought we set the tempo from the first whistle and made it difficult for them. It was a great performance and a worthy result. It's always nice to get a goal. I'm enjoying my football at the moment and it was a great performance. We take a good lead into the second leg with no away goals for them," the Welshman said.

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