Tottenham Transfer Rumours: 6 Midfielders Linked to Spurs This Summer

The middle of Tottenham Hotspurs' formation is not exactly where most of their worries currently lie, aside from a few headaches being generated by wantaway star Luka Modric. The truth is, Tottenham is looking as strong as ever in the midfield, having so far retained stars Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, and Raphael van der Vaart (who is looking as healthy as any Spurs fan could hope).

Tottenham needs a striker, and everybody knows it. But that hasn't stopped the North London outfit from scanning the market for some potential midfield talent. Particularly with Modric still attempting to force a move away from White Hart Lane, there's a chance that they're going to have some gaps to fill.

While a high-profile midfield signing during the summer transfer window seems increasingly unlikely, they've had their eyes on a few well-known names. Here are six of the midfielders that Tottenham have been rumored to be interested in throughout the summer months.

James Milner

Before the transfer season even began, Manchester City was rumored to be orchestrating a massive deal to land Spurs' breakout star Gareth Bale for a sizable fee, offering their own James Milner to help fill the gap at Tottenham. The Daily Star reported the offer to be in the range of £30 million, plus Milner.

While Tottenham has effectively ended all talk of potentially selling Bale for any price, they weren't exactly quiet about their interest in Milner during the 2010 summer transfer window, when they battled City to land the England International from Aston Villa.

Milner played a key role for Aston Villa during his stay with the club, but wasn't quite as influential for Manchester City in last season's impressive third place finish, appearing only 22 times in all competitions.

Given the price that City payed for Milner last summer (an estimated £26 million as part of a player switch with Villa), City would likely be looking for a pretty hefty price. If Tottenham were to decide once again that they want the 25-year-old, expect the price tag to be fairly substantial as City tries to salvage some of the original fee.

Lassana Diarra

Tottenham has been linked to French holding midfielder Lassana Diarra since the beginning of the transfer season, hoping to snatch him up from the potential grasps of Manchester United and Juventus, who have both expressed interest as well.

As Alex Ferguson concedes that he no longer has any intentions of buying further players this summer, only Juventus remains as a potential competitor.

Still, there remains the issue of the reported £18 million asking price set by Diarra's current club, Real Madrid, which seems a bit steep for a potential acquisition in the one area of the pitch that Spurs are looking pretty strong at the moment.

Previously, there was some doubt that Madrid was truly looking to sell the 26-year-old, but the club's decision to ultimately leave Diarra off the roster for their preseason tour has made him seem like a pretty formidable target.

Diarra has appeared 68 times for Madrid in multiple competitions, and wore the number ten jersey for the club throughout the 2009-10 season. His contribution to the French national squad was a key factor in the qualification stages for the 2010 World Cup, but he was unable to participate in the tournament due to medical complications stemming from altitude sickness.

Joe Cole

In the early days of the summer transfer season, some media outlets made it seem as though a deal to bring Joe Cole to White Hart Lane was all but finalized, and for one hell of a bargain price (£3 million). Those rumors, of course, turned out to be greatly exaggerated, but the fact remains that Liverpool could still be looking to move the troubled attacker during the current transfer window.

Liverpool acquired Cole from Chelsea last summer from a free transfer, and was expected to be the signing of the year for the Anfield side. But Cole failed to make a sizable impact on the club, and left Liverpool with a slumping midfielder who happened to be enjoying a new four-year contract worth £90,000 per week.

Despite last year's disappointing showing, Cole was once considered one of England's greatest young stars, and has been a consistent element of the England National Squad since 2001. He was beloved at Chelsea for his creative play and attacking prowess, which Liverpool fans were frustrated to learn would not translate as well into their own attacking game.

But, it's still well-known that Cole has the talent, it's just a question of whether or not he could ever rediscover the form he once showed at Stamford Bridge. At what was earlier rumored to be such a reasonable price tag, the cheap gamble could certainly pay off if Spurs were to ever decide to take it.

David Beckham

English star David Beckham is nearing the end of his contract with the L.A. Galaxy of Major League Soccer, leaving many wondering if he'll be seeking a new club in the near future.

In January, Beckham began training with Spurs during the MLS off season, leading many to wonder if a potential move could be on the horizon.

Beckham made it very clear that he enjoyed his stay at White Hart lane, as short as it was. He even went out of his way to extend the training stay to weeks longer than it was initially scheduled.

David Beckham's exploits in the Premiership are not exactly unknown to modern football fans, having played at Old Trafford for ten years and appearing for the England National Team 115 times. His reputation as a precision free kick specialist is world-renowned, most recently manifesting in the form of a goal scored directly from a free kick while playing for the Galaxy earlier this month.

Of course, Tottenham is hardly in the market for a free kick specialist, given that fact that Raphael van der Vaart fills that role pretty skillfully.

While Beckham continues to reiterate that he would not play for any EPL side apart from Manchester United, it cannot be denied that his affinity for Spurs has become very clear. While a move may be unlikely, minor links between Tottenham and Beckham continue to emerge from time to time (most recently by News of the World, a link that I can no longer provide for fairly obvious reasons), and the possibility certainly cannot be ruled out quite so simply.

Scott Parker

This month, rumors have been circulating all over the British media about Tottenham's interest in West Ham midfielder Scott Parker, with Chelsea and Aston Villa also reportedly lining up for his signature.

West Ham, however, have made it clear that they only intend to loan Parker out for the season, presumably with the hopes of achieving a quick promotion back to premiership and retaining their right to bring Parker back to the club.

The Englishman has been a key element of West Ham's squad since 2007, lending his services to Newcastle United and Chelsea before then.

In February, Parker was named the Premier League Player of the Month, and he was on the shortlist to win the PFA Player of the Year Award at the end of the season. He did, however, win the honor of the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.

At £4.5 million pounds, Parker could make an adequate short-term fix in the unlikely event of Luka Modric leaving Spurs for Stamford Bridge.

Jack Rodwell

Everton's 20-year-old defensive midfielder Jack Rodwell has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park this transfer season, with Spurs and Manchester City consistently named as the most likely destinations.

Spurs have been eyeing Rodwell since the middle of June, contemplating whether or not his skill (and his price-tag) fit into the club's vision of the future.

Rodwell grew up as an Everton supporter, and is a product of their youth program. With that taken into account, he has been associated with the club since as far back as 1998.

Spurs have indeed expressed interest in Rodwell, but have admitted that they're unsure whether or not they'll make an offer during the current transfer window.

With his success at Everton and for the England Under-21 squad, Rodwell's estimated value is in and around £25 million, which is admittedly a bit high for Tottenham's current needs.

Given Jack Rodwell's age this transfer season, he has the potential to continue improving and growing into one of EPL's most elite defensive mids. But there's still much left for Rodwell to prove to his EPL peers, especially considering the fact that he only made 14 Premier League starts for Everton last season.

Spurs would be taking a gamble in buying Rodwell for that price, and a very expensive one at that. But, if it's a gamble they decide they'd like to take, expect them to make an offer. Maybe not this transfer season, but soon.