Ex-Real Madrid gem and two £69m rocks - Five dream Tottenham Radu Dragusin transfer upgrades

football.london picks out five promising centre-backs Tottenham should consider signing if they decided to offload Radu Dragusin to Roma as loan discussions continue between the parties

The future of Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin is in the balance as talks continue over a potential loan switch to Roma.

The 23-year-old is seeking regular minutes following his return to fitness after ACL surgery. Opportunities are likely to remain few and far between in north London, however, now Spurs have been dumped out of both domestic cup competitions.

For that reason, you can understand why Dragusin is so keen to return to Italy, where he previously starred with Genoa.

But a deal would also have to be right for Spurs, who do not want to risk leaving themselves desperately short if they combat injuries later in the season.

There is every chance they might dip into the market for a new centre-back if Dragusin goes and football.london has assessed five possible options that could make sense for the Europa League winners.

Joel Ordonez - Club Brugge

The Ecuador international is hot property and has been tracked by a string of top clubs including PSG, Liverpool and Inter Milan.

The 21-year-old already boasts Champions League experience and is also headed to the World Cup with his country in the summer.

Belgian clubs are always willing to listen to offers and Ordonez is one of Europe's most-promising young central defenders.

There is so much scope for growth and interestingly, he can also play at full-back.

Jacobo Ramon - Como

Ramon has been a shining light in Cesc Fabregas' impressive Como side since swapping Real Madrid for Italy last summer.

The Spain U21 international made several appearances for Los Blancos last season and Real Madrid have also included a buy-back clause within the deal, so they remain in control of his future.

Nonetheless, Ramon has huge potential and has already emerged as a big character and leader at Como.

Much like Dragusin, he is dominant in the air and composed in possession, allowing him to build attacks from the back.

Ramon only joined Como for just over £2million, therefore his value is unlikely to have sky-rocketed beyond levels of affordability in just half a season.

Ousmane Diomande - Sporting CP

Diomande reportedly agreed a new contract with Sporting in December which could yet be signed upon return from the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 22-year-old was admired by Crystal Palace last summer but stayed put in Lisbon.

There can be no denying he is an impressive talent with experience playing in multiple systems (back-three and back-four).

Moving forward, he's primed to grow into a natural leader and his ceiling is incredibly high.

Whether he is attainable or not is another question altogether as his release clause reportedly stands at around £69million (€80million).

Castello Lukeba - RB Leipzig

This is a signing that would require Tottenham to flex their financial muscle but that's ultimately what fans want - some ambition.

Spurs have a good relationship with their German counterparts following the deal to sign Xavi Simons which was agreed in August.

Lukeba is hot property but needs to continue playing regular football if he is to fulfil his potential.

There's a firm argument he would currently struggle for minutes at Tottenham but long-term, he would be an exciting, refreshing option.

The Frenchman is quick across the ground and possesses the strength to manhandle opposition forwards.

His release clause is reportedly worth in the region of £69million (€80million) this summer, though.

Murillo - Nottingham Forest

Perhaps it's unrealistic for Tottenham to do further business with Nottingham Forest following the collapse of the Morgan Gibbs-White deal.

However, Murillo is the kind of signing that would really increase the overall level of the squad.

The issue is he wouldn't start over Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven but if either were to leave long-term, Murillo would be a fantastic replacement for either player.

He's not as mobile as Van de Ven but he's a tough competitor that fights for every ball.

If Spurs were able to recoup a credible fee for Dragusin, replacing him with someone who is the same age and has Premier League experience would be smart recruitment, though Forest would not offload for cheap.

This is the kind of signing that would prove the Lewis family mean business amid those promises of big investment.