Tottenham are considering a sensational bid to hijack Chelsea’s move for RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons.
Arsenal hijacked Spurs’ move for Eberechi Eze last week, with the North London club now set to attempt a similar trick on their other big London rivals.
Thomas Frank is keen to add a creative midfielder to his options after James Maddison underwent surgery on an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament.
Dejan Kulusevski is also expected to be out until at least January, in what has turned into an early injury crisis for the Dane to deal with.
Spurs had a £60million bid for Nico Paz rejected earlier this week, with the midfielder determined to stay at Como ahead of a future move to Real Madrid.
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Could Simons be the answer?
Tottenham hold talks over Xavi Simons
Chelsea want to sign Simons, but appear to be focusing on a move for Alejandro Garnacho, who is expected to leave Manchester United.
That has left the door open for a potential move by Spurs, with the Netherlands international presenting the perfect player for Frank.
Simons is capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, as well as on both wings.
The 22-year-old scored 10 goals and provided six assists in just 25 Bundesliga appearances for RB Leipzig last season, despite his team enduring a difficult season.
And the seasons before that saw the midfielder boast even more impressive numbers, with Simons bagging an extraordinary 19 league goals in his final season at PSV Eindhoven.
Matt Law reported on 27 August that Spurs are holding talks over a bid to sign the Dutchman, with RB Leipzig valuing the player at around £52m.
There is optimism that Simons would be open to a move to Tottenham, despite his extended period of talks with Chelsea.
Xavi Simons move would be reputation-boosting for Daniel Levy
Daniel Levy has come under huge scrutiny for his failure to sign a creative midfielder this summer.
The Eze saga brought fresh embarrassment for the Tottenham chairman, with critics pointing to the length of time it took for an agreement to be found with Crystal Palace.
But completing a hijack of his own would attract extremely positive optics, as well as provide an excellent player for Frank’s squad.
This is certainly one to watch as the Monday deadline quickly approaches.