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Tottenham have signed France international defender Alice Sombath for a club record transfer fee from Lyon.

The 22-year-old joins for an undisclosed fee and the length of her contract is unknown.

The previous club record signing is believed to have been Norway international Signe Gaupset's arrival for around £375,000 last year.

Sombath has spent five seasons at European giants Lyon, making 102 appearances and breaking into the France senior squad.

During her time in France, she won five consecutive Premiere Ligue titles and was part of the successful 2021-22 Women's Champions League squad.

"I want to do my best here at Tottenham. I think the league is very competitive, every game is tough and that's what I'm most excited about," said Sombath.

"I saw that Spurs had a very good season last year. My qualities can bring something to the team, even though I know they already have a lot."

Sombath came through Paris FC's academy and joined Paris St-Germain's youth team set-up before her move to Lyon in 2020.

She can play at centre-back or right-back and has represented France at every age group from the under-16s to the senior squad.

The defender featured in all of France's matches at Euro 2025, starting three games in the group stages.

"She's a player we've followed closely for some time and one who fits the profile of what we're building here," said Tottenham manager Martin Ho.

"She has already shown real maturity in her performances, and we believe she has all the qualities to continue developing into a top player within our environment.

"Alice is an aggressive defender who is comfortable in possession, competitive in her duels, and has the ambition to keep improving every day.

"This is another important addition as we continue building for the future. We can't wait to get started with Alice and welcome her into the group."

Tottenham have been successful in the pursuit of their key targets during the transfer window, bringing in six additions including Sombath.

They have also signed Shekeira Martinez, Kirsty Hanson, Victoria Pelova, Caitlin Dijkstra and Selma Panengstuen, getting their business done early.

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Roberto de Zerbi is set to add Brighton's Andrew Crofts to his Tottenham coaching staff before the 2026-27 season.

Crofts is the Seagulls' assistant head coach under Fabian Hurzeler and also works as part of Wales boss Craig Bellamy's staff.

The 42-year-old has spent his entire club coaching career with Brighton, rising through the academy ranks before being appointed to the first-team staff in August 2024 following the arrival of Hurzeler.

Manchester United have signed teenage winger Tynan Thompson from Tottenham in a deal that could be worth £8m.

The 18-year-old England youth international scored 13 goals and contributed six assists last season across Under-18 to Under-21 level.

The initial fee will be £4m with a further £4m in add-ons related to the first team and there is a 15% sell-on clause.

It is unclear which squad he will join yet and whether he will be part of United's squad in Norway for Friday's pre-season game against Rosenborg.

Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro will return to North London as a world champion having played his part in Spain's 2026 World Cup win.

Porro followed up on his solid display in the semi-final against France to play a part in the move that produced Ferran Torres' winning goal in the second-half of extra-time in New Jersey.

Cristian Romero and Marcos Senesi's Argentina didn't produce one shot on target throughout the entirety of the game as Spain dominated.

Porro's success makes him the fourth Spurs player in history to win the World Cup, following Jimmy Greaves (1966), Hugo Lloris (2018) and Cristian Romero (2022).

Summer signing Senesi, Romero and Porro will now have three weeks to rest and recover, as per Fifa guidelines, before returning to Tottenham for the 2026-27 Premier League season.

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Tottenham are guaranteed to have a 2026 World Cup winner in their squad no matter who emerges victorious in Sunday's final.

Club captain Cristian Romero, who has been the anchor of Argentina's defence at this tournament, will bid for his second world title against European champions Spain live on the BBC from 19:00 BST.

International team-mate Marcos Senesi is yet to play for Spurs having signed from Bournemouth on a free transfer at the beginning of June.

The defender was an unused substitute for the sixth time in the semi-final victory over England, with his only start coming against Jordan in the group stage.

Meanwhile, Pedro Porro, who scored against France in Tuesday's semi-final, is almost certain to start the final as Luis de la Fuente's first-choice right-back.

The 26-year-old has said "it's a dream come true" to reach the final, but can he and Spain go one further and win their second World Cup, having lifted their first title in 2010?

Three-time champions Argentina stand in their way.

With pre-season officially in full swing, we asked you to tell us what you're looking forward to about club football returning.

Here are some of your replies:

Dan: I guess we're all looking forward to seeing the new players and how Roberto de Zerbi sets the team up. But most of all, I'm hoping to see our Dutch central-defensive partnership. It worked so well when we had the two Belgians together. But, this to come to fruition probably requires Captain Redcard's departure from the club.

Toby: Winning two games in a row at home.

Chris: I'm looking forward to seeing how all the new arrivals gel into the team. We cannot afford another start to the season like we've seen the past two years. This is now a De Zerbi team - the players arriving are ones he wanted, the club have backed him and he'll have had a decent pre-season despite the inconvenience of players being at the World Cup. Time to see if our manager is worth all the hype. I hope so. I'm sure there will be more business done in the window, both arrivals and departures (just hope none of the departures go to Nottingham Forest unless it's for massive money). So yes, I'm looking forward to seeing how De Zerbi builds this team of ours.

Rowli: Actually winning games with style, flair and great football.

HardcastleHotspur: The prospect of a season in which we actually play well and win games at the Lane. It's been a long time, and we can now hope that De Zerbi can produce some good results.

John: Watching us (hopefully) climb the table instead of hanging around in the bottom third. It will also be interesting to see the style of play we adopt under De Zerbi.

Doug: Seeing the brand of football De Zerbi has us playing and sets us up without the threat of relegation hanging over us.

Inter Milanare working on deals for Tottenham's England defender Djed Spence, 25, and Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero, 28. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian), external

Liverpool are leading the race to sign Japan midfielder Kaishu Sano from Mainz and are prepared to offer up to 60m euros (£50.9m) for the 25-year-old, who has also attracted interest from Arsenal, Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund. (Teamtalk), external

Tottenham Hotspur have rejected a loan offer fromIpswich Town for Mikey Moore, the 18-year-old winger who spent last season with Rangers. (Football Insider, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Nottingham Forest are set to make an offer of £45m for Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall.

Spurs rejected Forest's first bid of £38m for the 20-year-old last week.

BBC Sport understands the Sweden international wants the move to the City Ground, having played limited minutes at the end of last season under Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi, often not in his preferred number six position.

When asked about the prospect of Bergvall joining the club during his first press conference as the new Forest boss on Thursday, Oliver Glasner did not directly refer to the midfielder but said: "I have one strength and weakness, it's impatience. Sometimes it's a strength, sometimes it's a weakness.

"Of course, I would have hoped they already trained with us on the other side.

"It's impossible because the players we're now talking to they play at the World Cup so are still on vacation. I'm pretty convinced we will have a few players joining us in Portugal [on a training camp]."

Bergvall joined Spurs in 2024 from Swedish club Djurgarden and was named the club's player of the year after his first Premier League season, at the end of which Spurs ended their 17-year wait for a trophy with Europa League victory.

In April 2025, he signed a new contract until 2031.

He played 33 games for the club last season but missed two months after undergoing ankle surgery.

Bergvall has 14 caps for Sweden and played at the World Cup, where his side were beaten in the last 32 by France.

Forest are believed to be looking for another midfielder in addition to Bergvall after Elliot Anderson's record-breaking move to Manchester City.

But there will not be another 13-player £180m spree like last summer with Forest looking to add quality over quantity.

A goalkeeper is needed to support Matz Sels and John Victor, while a striker is also wanted to aid Chris Wood, who turns 35 in December, and Igor Jesus.