PSG reportedly interested in 19-year old Tottenham star

We're at the point in the year now where the narrative of the opening part of the season has been established and both fans and the media start looking ahead to the opening of the January transfer window. One particular rumor has been circulating for the past day or so that suggests that Paris St. Germain has a keen interest in purchasing teenage midfielder Dele Alli from Tottenham Hotspur.

Typical for unsourced rumors of this nature, it's basically a game of telephone, where media outlets continue to report it but nobody can find the original source. The Guardian is the latest and perhaps the most reputable media institution to mention it, but even they throw it into their "rumor mill" column, in tacit acknowledgement that this is something that shouldn't be taken too seriously, at least at this point in time.

Still, it's no wonder PSG would be interested: Dele Alli has been one of the stories of the season in the EPL. Five months ago he was playing in League 1 with MK Dons, and today he's a regular starter with a Champions League-chasing EPL side, and has made his debut with England. His performances for Tottenham – and remember, he's still only 19 – have proven him to be not only a solid contributor in Spurs' midfield but a nailed-on starter. The scary part is he's going to continue to get better. So it's no surprise that clubs like PSG are (hypothetically) interested: we've joked in the CFC writer's room that he'll probably be playing for Barcelona in three years' time.

However, there's no need to panic. This is the kind of rumor that has more or less sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus. Considering the youth movement in place at Tottenham Hotspur, it's very unlikely that Spurs would consider cashing in on Alli anytime soon, and it would take a significant overpay from any club to even turn Daniel Levy's head. If Spurs somehow qualify for Champions League this season, that makes it even more difficult. That said, based on recent history "PSG" is practically French for "significant overpay," so we'll see what happens.