Tottenham Hotspur recently splashed the cash to sign Mohammed Kudus from London and Premier League rivals West Ham United for a reported fee of £55m.
The 24-year-old star, who provided an assist in a friendly against Reading on Saturday, will be hoping to offer a big threat at the top end of the pitch for Thomas Frank's side next season.
He will need to improve on his output from the 2024/25 campaign, though, as the Ghana international only managed five goals and three assists in 32 games as a winger or attacking midfielder for the Hammers. Kudus did produce 14 goals and six assists in all competitions in his first season in England, though, so it is more of an issue around consistency rather than quality.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are reportedly eyeing up a deal for another proven Premier League player who would be an even better signing than the £55m addition.
Spurs in talks to sign Premier League star
Whilst Kudus is somewhat of a gamble, given his unimpressive return in front of goal last term, Spurs are also eyeing a top-flight star who was superb last season and could come in to hit the ground running.
According to Caught Offside, Tottenham Hotspur are willing to pay the full asking price for Bournemouth central defender Illya Zabarnyi to bolster their options at the back.
The report claims that the Lilywhites are already in talks to reach an agreement to sign the Ukraine international, and that they are prepared to pay what is required, which is said to be around £61m.
It adds that Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on the defender and have had multiple offers turned down by the Premier League side, as they have only offered up to around £52m.
Caught Offside reveals, though, that Zabarnyi favours a move to PSG and the French side are confident that they can complete a deal, which makes it a difficult one for Spurs to get over the line.
Why Spurs should sign Zabarnyi
Tottenham should continue to push to convince the centre-back to make the switch to London this summer, though, because he would be an even better signing than Kudus.
The club's need for an extra body at the heart of the defence is obvious when you look at the time that Cristian Romero and Micky Van De Ven have missed in the last two seasons.
As you can see in the table above, Zabarnyi has not missed a single game through injury in his two seasons in the Premier League, which suggests that he would be the reliable centre-back option Frank is currently missing.
His performances in the top-flight last season also suggest that the Ukraine international has the quality to hit the ground running as an instant star for the Lilywhites.
Pundit Jamie Redknapp claimed that Zabarnyi, who was once described as a "complete" defender by Jacek Kulig, went "under the radar" with his performances, as the defender won 63% of his duels and made zero errors that led to goals in 36 starts in the division.
The 22-year-old colossus is a reliable, error-free, and dominant central defender who rarely gets injured and always delivers on the pitch, which is exactly what Spurs need at the back.
This is why Zabarnyi, if Spurs can get a deal done, would be an even better signing than Kudus, who is coming off a disappointing season and may not hit the ground running as an instant star, as the Bournemouth gem could do based on his form last term.