Tottenham Hotspur planning £25m transfer raid on Thomas Frank's former club: report

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keeping tabs on a player Thomas Frank already knows well with a view to a potential transfer move.

The Spurs boss made the move across London this summer after seven years at Brentford, having led the Bees to promotion from the Championship and successfully established them as a Premier League side.

Frank enjoyed a reasonably productive first transfer window at Tottenham, with Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons among the high-profile arrivals - and he could now look to Brentford to bring in one of his former charges.

Tottenham set sights on Kevin Schade

Journalist Florian Plettenberg writes that Tottenham are among a number of sides currently keeping an eye on Brentford forward Kevin Schade.

The Germany international enjoyed a standout campaign last season, appearing in every one of Brentford's Premier League games and claiming 11 goals in the process.

Schade remains an important player under new boss Keith Andrews, who has shifted the 23-year-old to playing at centre-forward more regularly this season.

His only strike so far this campaign came as he opened the scoring in Brentford's 2-2 draw with Chelsea last month.

At his age, there is seemingly a feeling that Schade's best years are still ahead of him, with Plettenberg noting that he could be 'one to watch' when it comes to his transfer future.

However, as Frank will be well aware, getting Schade out of Brentford is unlikely to be easy, even if Tottenham were to wait until next summer - as has been reported.

In FourFourTwo's estimation, Brentford are in a strong position to command a very hefty fee for Schade, if indeed they are willing to get him go at all.

Brentford have consistently been willing to drive a hard bargain for their best players, particularly when they still have plenty of time left on their deals.

Newcastle had to shell out £55m to secure Yoane Wissa on transfer deadline day, while Bryan Mbeumo commanded a £65m when Manchester United came knocking earlier in the summer.

Schade joined for a reported £25m in 2023 and his contract is not set to expire until summer 2028, which means come the end of this season, Brentford will be in what is generally regarded as the prime time to sell a player for maximum value.