Tottenham have stepped up pursuit of Barcelona striker David Villa, with the club's new director of football, Franco Baldini, to open talks with the player before the end of the week, according to the Mail Online. The report also claims the club have bid £6.5m for Arsenal and Serie A side AS Roma target Tin Jedvag; the Italians reportedly bid £5m for Dinamo Zagreb's young defender.

David Villa
Reuters

Villa is presently with the Spanish national team in Brazil. Vicente del Bosque's men have progressed into the semi final, where they face traditional rivals Italy; the winner meets hosts Brazil in the final. The 31-year-old had a mixed 2012/13 season at the Nou Camp, excelling when chosen but forced to watch a majority of the games from the bench. He scored 10 goals and created five more from 28 La Liga games. At the Confederations Cup, Villa scored a hat-trick against Tahiti in Spain's final group game; Spain won 10-0.

The former Valencia forward is understood to be a key target for Spurs boss André Villas-Boas and the former Chelsea manager has reportedly been tracking the player from his time in west London. Arsenal were reported interested as well but the Gunners are now close to sealing a club record £22m move for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, according to the Mail.

Spurs are as keen to sign a proven goal scorer as their near rivals, with both Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor expected to leave White Hart Lane this summer. AVB has £50m in transfer funds, as he seeks to overhaul his side and target Champions League football for the 2014/15 season.

Battle for Paulinho

Among the player linked with a move to Spurs is Brazilian midfielder Paulinho. The young Corinthians star is expected to announce his professional future after the Confederations Cup final on Sunday and has to choose between Tottenham and Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, the midfielder's compatriot, Chelsea defender David Luiz, believes he will be an excellent addition to Spurs' first team, should he move to the Premier League.

"Paulinho is a fantastic player, both defending and attacking. He is complete, so he can come to England. It's a great moment for him," Luiz explained.

According to the Mail Online, Serie A sides AS Roma and Inter Milan are also interested in Paulinho but are understood to be outsiders in the race to sign the 24-year-old. It is believed a fee in the region of £17m is needed to sign Paulinho.