Strikers that should be on Tottenham's radar: Part I - Big budget

Tottenham were handed a blow on New Year's Day when, with 15 minutes to play of their 1-0 loss at Southampton, star striker Harry Kane pulled up with a hamstring issue, ruling the England striker out until at least March. With crunch league meetings with Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, not to mention a last-16 Champions League tie with RB Leipzig, to play before Kane is back in action, Spurs are short of attacking options. 

The decision to allow Fernando Llorente to leave, in hindsight, could prove costly. Head coach Jose Mourinho partnered Son Heung-Min with Lucas Moura in the FA Cup 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough last weekend, but neither are an out-and-out striker the club needs to help shoulder the goalscoring burden in Kane's absence. Big money moves are rare for Spurs in January - Moura's arrival from PSG two years ago was the only signing the club made in the winter window under Mauricio Pochettino - but Mourinho will hope chairman Daniel Levy dusts off the chequebook to invest this month. 

Here, we take a look at three fairly-expensive, but potentially good value, strikers Spurs, and any other sides for that matter, could target this month. 

After a blistering start to life with Genoa, where 13 goals across 19 league appearances was enough for AC Milan to make their move for the Pole 12 months ago, Krzysztof Piatek has struggled to replicate his fine goalscoring form for this underwhelming Rossoneri outfit. AC Milan currently sit 12th in Serie A and are supposedly willing to sanction a €30m sale of the 24-year-old. 

Aston Villa are rumoured to be interested in Piatek and the return of the iconic Zlatan Ibrahimovic could now limit the former's playing time. Ibrahimovic's move to San Siro will hopefully have a positive effect for AC Milan, who are among the lowest scorers in Serie A with 16 goals. Piatek may have scored four of those - he is the club's joint-top scorer with defender Theo Hernandez - but if rumours are to be believed, then the club could yet cut their losses on the Poland international, which plays into Spurs' hands as they seek to ease Kane's absence. 

Paco Alcacer's goal record for Borussia Dortmund is unbelievable. The Spaniard has endured his injury woes and in 18 months, he has been restricted to just 1735 minutes of Bundesliga action. In that time, however, Alcacer has hit the back of the an impressive 23 times at a rate of a goal every 75.4 minutes. The arrival of Erling Haaland threatens to limit Alcacer's game time and a move away from the German side may be in the latter's best interests. 

Indeed, the 26-year-old is looking to secure a January exit from the Bundesliga powerhouse in search of regular game time ahead of the summer's European Championship and while Daniel Levy is believed to have vetoed a deal, it's a move that would suit all parties. Dortmund may value Alcacer at around €40m, yet it could prove a bargain buy if he provides sufficient cover for Kane and his goals ensure another season of Champions League football.

Edinson Cavani's contract runs until the end of the season and Atletico Madrid are believed to be leading the race to land the Uruguayan. However, there has been interest from England, notably Arsenal and Manchester United, and while PSG are reluctant to cash in on the 32-year-old this month, they may yet consider bids for their all-time record goalscorer if they elect to raise funds on a possible sale of the forward, who has netted 198 PSG goals following his 2013 arrival. 

Having largely played second fiddle to Mauro Icardi as PSG's lead frontman this season, Cavani's potential availability should have potential suitors scrambling to secure his services. Comfortable on his own or with a strike partner, and Champions League experienced, Cavani would be the ideal capture for Spurs, provided they could beat off stiff competition for the Uruguay international.