Tottenham line up Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger as surprise alternative to Milan Skriniar

Tottenham Hotspur have lined up Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger as a surprise alternative to Milan Skriniar if they cannot agree a deal for the Slovakia international from Inter Milan.

Skriniar remains the club’s first choice to strengthen Jose Mourinho’s defence, but Spurs and Inter have so far been unable to agree a fee.

With time running out in the transfer window, Tottenham have been forced to consider alternative options - one of whom is Chelsea outcast Rudiger.

Rudiger has been left out of Frank Lampard’s squad since the opening Premier League victory over Brighton and the German international is expected to leave Stamford Bridge before the transfer window shuts.

Paris Saint-Germain have shown an interest in Rudiger, but the French club are unsure whether or not he would be available on a loan or a permanent deal.

Chelsea would ideally want Rudiger to sign an extension to his contract, which has less than two years left to run, before agreeing to loan him out for the season.

It is unclear whether or not the 27-year-old would want to extend his deal, but Chelsea would also consider a permanent deal for Rudiger, who cost £29million from Roma three years ago.

Allowing Rudiger to join Chelsea’s bitter rivals may not be popular with Blues fans, but the club have proved before that they are prepared to allow unwanted players to move to other big Premier League clubs.

Juan Mata was famously allowed to join Manchester United, while Chelsea were prepared to sanction Olivier Giroud’s proposed switch to Spurs in January but they could not find a suitable replacement.

Midfielder Gus Poyet and goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini have successfully made the move from Chelsea to Tottenham in the modern era, while William Gallas played for both clubs, either side of also playing for Arsenal.

Inter Milan had initially wanted a deal worth £55m for Skriniar, with Spurs reluctant to pay more than £30m, but talks between the two clubs are continuing alongside the interest in Rudiger.