Tottenham are poised to hijack Liverpool's £20million move for Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan, The Daily Mail reports.

Anfield boss Brendan Rodgers looked to be pole position to land the talented attacking midfielder, but Spurs have now entered the race to land the Armenia international.

It is understood Mkhitaryan's advisors have held initial talks with Tottenham chiefs regarding a possible move to White Hart Lane next season.

Spurs continue to explore the possibility of signing David Villa from Barcelona to lead their forward line, with further talks expected to take place between the club's new technical director, Franco Baldini, and the Spain international's representatives following the conclusion of the Confederations Cup, The Guardian reports.

Villa, at 31, would not represent a conventional Spurs signing under Daniel Levy's chairmanship given the lack of potential sell-on value at that age and his injury problems over the past few seasons. A badly broken leg ruled the forward out of the entire 2011-12 campaign and, although he returned to score 16 goals last term and regain his place in the national side, he has become rather peripheral at Camp Nou with the arrival of the Brazilian Neymar this summer further thrusting him out of the limelight.