Tottenham target Ajax hero Donny van de Beek

Bengaluru, May 7: Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a summer move for Ajax star Donny van de Beek, the man who may have sent them crashing out of the Champions League.

Van de Beek scored the only goal as Ajax sealed a 1-0 win in the first leg of their European semi-final at the Tottenham Stadium last week.

The 22-year-old is expected to play a key role on Wednesday (May 8) as the Dutch club look to complete the job on the return leg and eventually end Tottenham's hopes of Champions League glory.

But that has not stopped Spurs scouts from closely monitoring his progress this season as boss Mauricio Pochettino prepares for a summer spending spree.

Pochettino has made it clear to chairman Daniel Levy that he needs financial backing over the close season to improve a squad which has a lack of depth needed to compete domestically and in Europe.

The Spurs boss admitted last week that tough decision may need to be made in order to take his talented side onto the next level.

And one of the areas he is looking to improve is in midfield, where Van de Beek has emerged as a player of genuine interest.

Ajax's brilliant form this season has seen several of their top young stars targeted by clubs across Europe.

Frenkie De Jong is already on his way to Barcelona in the close season, while captain Matthijs De Ligt is another who is highly sought after.

Barcelona and Manchester City have both shown an interest in the defender who could cost around £60million.

That kind of money is out of the reach for Spurs, but the £45m Van de Beek is valued at, is likely to be within the budget Levy makes available to Pochettino.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are all believed to be interested in the attacking midfielder. But Spurs could offer him a chance to play in the Premier League along with a competitive wage packet.

And the club believe the good relationship they have with Ajax, which has seen them sign Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Davison Sanchez in recent years, may give them an advantage in securing a deal.