Tottenham's growing interest in Andreas Schjelderup appears to have rattled Benfica, with the Portuguese giants moving to tie down their star man rather than risk losing him to the Premier League.

Spurs have already made contact over a potential deal, positioning the Norwegian as one of several attacking targets as Roberto De Zerbi looks to reshape his forward line.

The North Londoners have worked hard to reshape the spine of the team this summer, adding virtually an entirely new defence amid the expectation that Cristian Romero will leave, and attention now turns further up the pitch.

James Maddison is fully fit having returned from a ruptured ACL suffered last August, but Dejan Kulusevski has been sidelined for what feels like an eternity, with no firm timeline for his return beyond hopes of a first-half-of-season comeback.

Xavi Simons, meanwhile, suffered his own ACL injury at Wolves in April, ruling him out for the rest of last season and the World Cup with the Netherlands.

With three key creative outlets all hit by long-term issues at various points, it's no surprise to see the manager looking to find more creativity in the transfer market.

Benfica offer Schjelderup new contract to ward off Tottenham interest

FootballFanCast understands Benfica have gone well beyond a standard renewal offer in their bid to keep hold of Schjelderup. Despite being their most valuable asset, the 22 year-old is currently one of the Portuguese club's lowest earners on a deal that runs until 2028.

Sources close to the situation say they have tabled fresh terms that would run three years beyond his current deal to 2031, while also lifting his salary to put him on par with Benfica's top earners.

The winger has a €100m (£85m) release clause in his current deal, but there is an understanding he would be allowed to leave for a fee closer to €80m (£68m).

The 22-year-old has established himself as one of Benfica's key attacking players, scoring ten goals and providing seven assists in 43 appearances in all competitions last season.

He enhanced his reputation further with a strong World Cup campaign for Norway, including a goal against England in the quarter-finals.

Teammate Alexander Sorloth was full of praise after his display against the Netherlands, describing him as "extremely strong and a fantastic player" who showed no fear taking on Denzel Dumfries.

Versatile across the front line and comfortable operating on either flank, Schjelderup fits De Zerbi's profile for young, technically gifted attackers, and has previously drawn interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona.

Tottenham still waiting on Savinho answer

Schjelderup's situation is complicated by Tottenham's pursuit of Manchester City winger Savinho, who remains De Zerbi's top target for the wide areas.

The Brazilian was close to joining Spurs last summer, only for City to pull the plug when they couldn't identify a replacement in time, opting instead to hand him a new contract.

The same dynamic is playing out again this year, with reports suggesting the player is keen on the switch but City once again holding up proceedings until they've sorted a like-for-like addition of their own.

Savinho's underwhelming campaign at the Etihad - just four goals and three assists in 36 appearances - means he is unlikely to earn his way back up the pecking order even with the arrival of a new manager in Enzo Maresca.

Should City again fail to sanction Savinho's exit before the market moves on, Schjelderup represents an intriguing alternative.

Whether Tottenham end up pursuing both, or pivot fully to Benfica's man if Savinho stalls again, is likely to be one of the defining subplots of Spurs' remaining transfer business this summer.