Exciting young striker could make his way to North London for hefty fee

Welcome to Dispatches from #BatCountry, where we analyze the silliest and strangest rumors involving possible transfers to and from Tottenham Hotspur!

It's an exciting time around White Hart Lane right now. Spurs are just four points off the top of the table and have a crucial match coming up on Sunday with hated Chelsea. Even with the form that our guys are in currently, we could always use some added depth. Today's rumor addresses just that, but it is the battiest of bat country rumors.

The rumor comes from our friends over at the Metro, who are suggesting that Spurs are in for coveted 18-year-old striker Breel Embolo. The Swiss striker has seven goals on the season across all competitions for FC Basel and is one of the most sought after talents across the continent. Metro's article is short and sweet....and leads us down a rabbit hole.

Spurs could face strong competition from Juventus for the talented 18-year-old, whom they view as a good alternative to West Brom’s Saido Berahino, according to Goal.

Embolo is a long-time target for Tottenham, with the north London side in touch with both Basel and with the player’s representatives several times since the summer.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been in fine form this season, but could become overly reliant on Harry Kane as their main option up front.

Oh joy. A short article that links to another article known for it's hilarious rumors. Goal.com,what do you have for us?

Juventus are hoping to steal a march on Tottenham in the race to sign Basel starlet Breel Embolo.

The 18-year-old striker, who was born in Cameroon, is considered one of Europe's most exciting young talents, having already been capped at senior level by Switzerland.

Tottenham have been speaking with both Basel and Embolo's representatives since the summer, while Juve sent a scout to watch him in action for Basel in their Europa League meeting with Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on September 17.

And then there's this little piece of information.

The fee, though, could be a stumbling block, with Wolfsburg having already dropped their interest in the player after being warned that even €30 million (£21m) might not be enough to persuade them to part company with their most prized possession.

The rumor that linked us to Embolo in the summer had the fee at £10m. Whether or not that was true is up to who you talk to, but with Anthony Martial going to Manchester United for over three times that, Basel probably stopped talking to anyone because that figure wasn't going to be good enough anymore. Now, Goal is claiming the fee has more than doubled, which is fine but it still seems pricey for an 18-year-old striker.

Focusing on Embolo, would he improve this squad? Certainly. He's an excellent talent and possesses great skill for his age that should get better. Spurs are in the market for a backup to give Kane a rest, but if the asking price is over £20m, then it's doubtful we'd get involved. Blame Manchester United for this if you want, considering that them backing up a dump truck full of money to Monaco's front office is causing the sharp increase in fees.

To wrap it up, Goal throws some information out there that sounds like it could mean something, but has nothing to back it up with other than hearsay. Nobody is certain whether Wolfsburg were sniffing around or even if Juventus got involved with this. It's believable that Juventus sent a scout to watch a Basel match, but that's a given. Spurs would be doing exactly the same thing, especially for someone like Embolo. However, this fee is a lot for Embolo. If we were talking about the reported £10m in the summer, that would be a different story.

For now, take Raoul Duke's advice: