Tottenham battling Arsenal for Marcel Sabitzer transfer but RB Leipzig won’t sell £30m-rated star until the summer

TOTTENHAM boss Jose Mourinho has earmarked Marcel Sabitzer as a major transfer target, according to reports.

The RB Leipzig midfielder has emerged into the primetime with the club, having joined while they were second-tier in 2014.

And his rise with last year's Champions League semi-finalists has reportedly alerted Tottenham and Arsenal to his abilities.

According to , Mourinho is a big fan of Sabitzer and the midfielder is seen as ready-made for the coach's setup.

A role alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is thought to be perfect for the Leipzig captain.

Mourinho was able to do his own scouting report on Sabitzer in March's last-16 defeat to Leipzig in the Champions League, the second leg seeing him score twice.

A January transfer is seen as unlikely given Leipzig's Bundesliga title tilt.

Julian Nagelsmann's side are two points off leaders Bayern Munich ahead of the weekend's games, which includes Leipzig hosting fourth-place Borussia Dortmund.

The club have said that there would be no contract talks during the season. So I'm fully focused on playing a successful season.

Marcel Sabitzer

Mourinho has also discussed his pessimism at being able to improve his side in January.

Therefore a summer switch is seen as most likely with Sabitzer's contract expiring in June 2022, potentially reducing his fee as low as £30million.

The player stated last month: "If I read my contract correctly, it expires in June 2022, which means it runs for another 18 months. We'll have to see about everything else.

"I'm just doing my job. We have a game every three days, that's exhausting enough.

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"The club have said that there would be no contract talks during the season. So I'm fully focused on playing a successful season and don't think about what will happen later on at all."

Leipzig sporting director Markus Krosche has admitted that bids may soon be landing for the midfielder.

He recently told Bild: "[Sabitzer] has made a great development.

"It goes without saying that other clubs also notice this."