Spurs will go head-to-head with North London rivals Arsenal in a battle for Ajax's highly-rated young defender, Joel Veltman, according to the Daily Mirror.

Veltman, 22, is currently in Brazil with the Netherlands as part of Louis van Gaal's World Cup squad.

The centre-back has only played 13 minutes at the World Cup, replacing Stefan de Vrij in the Netherlands' first game of the tournament, the 5-1 thrashing of current world champions Spain.

Tottenham could see club captain Michael Dawson join Hull City, whilst Arsenal skipper Thomas Vermaelen has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United.

Those moves would pave the way for both clubs to step up their interest in the 6ft centre-back.