Spurs targeting out-of-contract West Ham defender

This is a summer transfer rumor. Just to get that out of the way.

According to Matt Law at the Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur have targeted West Ham United's center back Winston Reid as a good summer signing. Reid is out of contract this summer, and Arsenal have been rumored to be interested in signing him to a cut-rate transfer this January. But Law reports:

Arsenal are keen to sign Reid for a cut-price £3 million this month, but West Ham would rather let the New Zealand international leave for free at the end of the season than sell him at a reduced rate.

That has left the door open for Spurs to try to reach an agreement to sign Reid in the summer and the club are understood to be willing to give the 26-year-old what he wants. Reid is looking for a contract worth £60,000-a-week, plus a £1 million signing on fee. He would also be offered a better chance of first-team football at White Hart Lane.

Those numbers fit perfectly within Spurs' wage structure, especially if there is no transfer fee to paid on top. Center backs generally peak between the ages of 26-30, so Reid would be coming in at a good time for Spurs to get his best years out of him. The New Zealand international is not a world-beater, but he has been a consistently solid presence for several years in the EPL and could give Tottenham another strong aerial threat in the back line.

Law further reports that space could be cleared for Reid by moving Younes Kaboul on to Beşiktaş this month. This report suggests an interesting possibility. Maybe instead of spending on center backs at the window, Spurs hope to integrate youngsters Milos Veljkovic and Eric Dier into the rotation instead, with plans to get another veteran hand in the summer. It all depends on the deals out there, in all likelihood, so this is a story worth tracking.