Tottenham react to Jan Vertonghen injury by increasing interest in Steaua Bucharest defender Vlad Chiriches

Injury to central defender and release of Wiliam Gallas has left Spurs short at the back, and Sporting Lisbon's Tiago Ilori is also believed to be on the radar

Vlad Chiriches, in action for Steaua Bucharest agains Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich, has been linked with a move to Tottenham (GETTY IMAGES)

Tottenham are considering launching a bid for Steaua Bucharest defender Vlad Chiriches following the injury suffered to Jan Vertonghen according to reports.

Vertonghen picked up the injury while playing for Spurs in the Barclays Asia Trophy last week, where the Hong Kong Stadium pitch attracted a lot of criticism for its condition as torrential rain saw the playing surface resemble a marshland bog rather than a state of the art stadium.

Manager Andre Villa-Boas also has concerns over the long-term fitness of central defender Younes Kaboul, who had an injury hit campaign last season but remains firmly in his manager's plans.

The release of William Gallas has left Spurs a little bare at the back with Michael Dawson and Steven Caulker available, although Caulker was linked with a possible move to Cardiff this morning, and Villas-Boas has identified 23-year-old Chiriches as an ideal candidate to compete for a starting position.

The Romania international would cost in the region of £6.94m, which would be nothing compared to the fee being reported that Spurs will receive from Real Madrid should they complete the signing of Gareth Bale.

Sporting Lisbon centre-back Tiago Ilori is also reported to be on Villas-Boas’ radar, but the 20-year-old will cost slightly more at around £8m, although the Portuguese would be in favour of tapping into his homeland’s resources.

Ilori was actually born in London to a father of Nigerian descent and a Portuguese mother, although he has appeared throughout his young career for Portugal’s youth sides.