Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Everton defender Ben Godfrey as a potential January transfer target.

Spurs have enjoyed a strong start to the new Premier League campaign under Ange Postecoglou, collecting 27 points from their 14 matches.

Although they recently suffered a three-game losing streak, the North Londoners twice came from behind to earn a 3-3 draw at Manchester City on Sunday evening.

However, the recent absences of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven - to suspension and injury respectively - have exposed the lack of depth in the middle of the backline.

Emerson Royal and Ben Davies have been handed the reins for that particular area in recent fixtures at a time when Eric Dier is out of favour and could be sold at the turn of the year.

Romero is available again after serving a three-match ban and will likely start against West Ham United on Thursday, but Van de Ven faces being sidelined for another couple of months.

According to talkSPORT, Spurs are toying with the idea of making a bid for Godfrey when business reopens in January.

While Godfrey has made a total of 79 appearances for the Toffees since his arrival in 2020, his time at Goodison Park has been hindered by injury and falling out of favour.

Godfrey - who can play at right-back or centre-back - has been restricted to just one substitute outing in the Premier League this season, while he has started one game in the EFL Cup.

The 25-year-old's place in the pecking order is clear from remaining as an unused substitute in all but one of Everton's 14 top-flight fixtures in 2023-24.

With just over 18 months remaining on his contract, the former Norwich City man is an obvious candidate to be sold or loaned out next month in a bid to help Everton's ongoing financial issues.

Despite his lack of game time, his versatility and his homegrown status make him a natural target for Spurs, particularly with the latter in the event that other homegrown players leave Spurs in 2024.

A potential transfer fee is not mentioned, but it would be considerably below the £20m that Everton paid Norwich nearly three-and-a-half years ago. body check tags ::