Tottenham's supposed interest in Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze has been played down by the reputable David Ornstein, who confirmed Arsenal's intrigue in the Englishman.
It's been a quiet start to the summer for Spurs, who have so far confirmed the permanent arrivals of Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso but little else. With our 'Big Six' rivals already busy, some supporters have quickly grown impatient.
However, July 1 represents the start of a new financial year, and some suspect we may begin to enjoy an uptick in summer transfer activity. There's also been time for new manager Thomas Frank to assess potential targets ahead of his first season in charge.
If reports are to be believed, we're certainly in the market for a wide forward this summer, and multiple Premier League stars are on the club's radar. Palace protagonist Eze is the utopia for many, and it initially appeared that we'd finally make our move following years of flirtation.
Tottenham's lack of Eberechi Eze interest must point towards alternative plan
Eze reportedly has a £68m release clause inserted into his Palace contract, and the Eagles' supposed willingness to accept this fee in instalments seemingly increased the likelihood of a Spurs pursuit this summer.
And while there's certainly been interest from north London, the latest intrigue is instead arriving from Arsenal, not Spurs. There were murmurs of Gooner interest brewing last week, and The Athletic's Ornstein has confirmed the news.
He writes that Eze is a player our fiercest rivals are considering, but no contact has yet been made with Palace. Significantly, Ornstein also added that Eze 'is not a player Tottenham Hotspur have targeted to date'.
That report would contradict much of what has been written at the start of the summer window, but it must surely point towards an alternative plan in N17. The Athletic also reported our enquiry for Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo and the interest in reuniting Frank with Bryan Mbeumo, but it's Mohammed Kudus who seems to have emerged as priority number one.
Spurs have started talks with the West Ham star, who Fabrizio Romano reports is 'open' to joining. The Hammers are believed to be willing to let Kudus leave for considerably less than his £85m release clause, but other clubs remain in the race. Chelsea scare me. They've done it to us before, and their spending/accumulation of players knows no bounds.
If Arsenal were to sign Eze, the addition of dribbling maestro Kudus would certainly soften the blow.