Liverpool and Spurs to battle over honoured Championship ace

After a stellar campaign that saw the Football League honour him as the Championship’s Young Player of the Year, Tom Ince’s services are highly coveted this summer.

And father Paul, manager of his current club Blackpool, could have a difficult decision to make regarding the future of his son, considering the standing of the clubs in the hunt for the winger.

Indeed, Champions League-chasing Tottenham front the chase for the 21-year-old, in company with a Liverpool outfit who look unlikely to secure a place in next year’s Europa League.

With either club apparently willing to pay £6.5m for the England under-21 international too, his sale would generate significant funds to allow Ince to swell his Bloomfield Road ranks.

As a former Reds trainee, the materialisation of Ince junior’s return to Anfield would see Liverpool shell out an excessive fee for a player they let go for next to nothing only two years ago.

And that is one of a number of factors which make Tottenham appear likelier candidates to tie up a deal for the electric wide-man.

Spurs, 5/4 to achieve a top-four Premier League finish this season, have prioritised the addition of a winger this summer, with Gareth Bale’s future uncertain, and Aaron Lennon’s proneness to injury proving a hindrance.

Ince’s versatility appeals to Andre Villas-Boas, as the PFA Championship Team of the Year member is equally as comfortable operating from either flank, whilst he also been employed in a central role just off a main striker on occasions too.

Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy would have no issues funding a move for Ince either, as proven by the contributions he has made to securing several highly-regarded young Championship talents in the past, with varying degrees of success.

The White Hart Lane chief would hope that Ince flourishes in the same way Bale has done since joining Spurs, as opposed to flopping in the manner of another addition from a second-tier side, former Crystal Palace midfielder John Bostock.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.