Liverpool transfer target close to five-year contract with Tottenham

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Tottenham Hotspur appear to be close to agreeing a new deal with Algeria midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, who has emerged as a transfer target for Liverpool in recent weeks.

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According to the Mirror, Spurs have been in talks with the 20-year-old and are close to tying him down to a new five-year contract.

Both Harry Kane and Ryan Mason have recently signed deals keeping them at White Hart Lane until 2020, and the North African now looks set to follow suit.

The youngster was in action for Algeria on Saturday in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying victory over the Seychelles, and has seen his stock rise over the last 18 months—both with his country and his club.

He featured 26 times in the Premier League for the Lillywhites last season—of which 25 were starts—and contributed two assists as Mauricio Pochettino’s side registered a fifth-place finish in the top flight.

Along with the aforementioned Mason, Bentaleb has helped to implement the coach’s preferred high-intensity approach, and the two were among the most impressive EPL campaigners in their position last season.

As well as securing the services of one of the brightest young midfielders in world football for five years, Tottenham also appear to be dissuading Liverpool from making a move for the starlet.

Brendan Rodgers’s Reds have been linked with the Benteleb this summer, with the Metro reporting earlier this month that the Merseyside outfit were considering a move for the 20-year-old.

According to the source, Rodgers has viewed Bentaleb as an ideal foil for his new signing James Milner and believes the Fennec would work well in the heart of the park alongside the England international and his new teammate Jordan Henderson.

Bentaleb had previously admitted, according to the Daily Mail, that he had grown ‘tired’ and ‘annoyed’ with the sluggish contract negotiations at White Hart Lane,

The likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Arsenal are just some of the other clubs to have been linked with the talented star.