The coveted Ligue 1 transfer target Tottenham and Liverpool could fight for

Strengthening the midfield may not be Tottenham and Liverpool's first priority, but when the potential to snap up a highly-talented player presents itself, it's presumably tough for managers to ignore. Ryad Boudebouz is one such player and he comes under the glare of talkSPORT's Transfer Spotlight...

Name: Ryad Boudebouz
Date of birth: 19/02/90
Born: Colmar, north east France
Club: Sochaux
Position: Midfield
International: 15 Algeria caps

What's the latest?
Following another excellent season in Ligue 1, Ryad Boudebouz is apparently being chased by Bayer Leverkusen and Rubin Kazan as well as Tottenham and Liverpool, who he claimed to be in talks with about a transfer in 2011. His contract is up at the end of next season, so Sochaux may consider selling the 23-year-old to stop him leaving for nothing when it expires.

Did you know?
1) Boudebouz was spotted by Sochaux scouts while playing for his local side Colmar when he was 12 and was convinced to make the 50-mile move to the club where he has remained ever since.

2) Blessed with bags of energy, Boudebouz has become one of French football's most coveted young players. He is a skilful attacker who can play in the middle of midfield or on the wing and has demonstrated his lethal shot and trickery against two of France's top teams, Marseille and PSG [see video evidence below].

3) He made his Sochaux debut in a 1-1 draw against Nice in October 2008 where the 18-year-old played 60 minutes of the Ligue 1 clash before being substituted. Boudebouz scored his first goal for the club a month later, bagging the winner in a 2-1 home win against Le Mans. He played 25 games and scored three times in the 2008/09 season and his goals against Le Mans as well as Nancy helped Sochaux avoid relegation to Ligue 2.

4) Despite representing France's U19 team previously, Boudebouz decided to represent Algeria where his parents hail from. He made his debut against Ireland in 2010 and was part of Algeria's World Cup squad and played against England in the group stage.
5) Boudebouz is still only 22, but has played 162 Ligue 1 games for Sochaux already, scoring 23 goals. His most prolific season came in the 2010/11 campaign when he found the back of the net eighttimes and Sochaux finished fifth.

Video evidence:

All stats correct as of 19/06/13

Do Tottenham and Liverpool need to strengthen their midfield or should they look elsewhere?