Report: Tottenham and West Ham leading race to sign teenager who made international bow before club debut

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Tottenham and West Ham are looking to the future it seems and are both keen on signing young South American defender, Leonardo Zabala, according to reports.

PlanetSport reports in its list of promising youngsters in the world how Zabala is a wanted man. They claim that the 18-year-old is being courted in Europe and that it is Spurs and West Ham who are leading the race. It’s suggested Zabala would be signed for the Premier League duo’s under-23s sides initially.

Per PlanetSport, Zabala is in the unique position of having made his international debut before even kicking a ball for his current club, Santos. He came on in a 5-0 drubbing for Bolivia by Brazil.

Predominantly a central defender, Zabala is highly rated in his home continent. And with Antonio Conte looking to press on with his mission to improve Tottenham this summer, a move could be on the cards.

TBR’s View: Zabala One For The Future

If anything, this just shows the reach that Premier League clubs have in terms of scouting and looking for talent.

Manchester City do it very well, and they have recently landed the impressive Kayky from South America.

For all that Antonio Conte needs players for the here and now, Spurs still need to invest in youth. After all, their best player in Harry Kane was developed at the club.