Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has reportedly told the club that Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is his 'dream' midfield signing this summer.
Tottenham and Newcastle both endured disappointing Premier League seasons, finishing 17th and 12th in the table respectively despite both teams competing in the Champions League.
Neither Spurs nor the Magpies have any European football next term, and they will surely be looking at Manchester United's recent third-place finish with no European distractions as the benchmark for the 2026-27 campaign.
What is clear in Tottenham's case are that changes are needed to the squad, not only for the reason they have finished 17th in successive Premier League seasons, but also that they need a team that is tailored to De Zerbi's tactical needs.
Spurs have quite a few options in central midfield as things stand, with the Italian boss preferring the experience of Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha in the closing weeks of the campaign as they battled for top flight survival.
De Zerbi appears to be looking for upgrades in the position though to take the club back up the Premier League table, with Guimaraes catching his eye.
De Zerbi Identifies Bruno Guimaraes as 'Dream' Target
According to a reliable Tottenham account on X, via Sports View, De Zerbi is said to have put forward the name of Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes to club chiefs ahead of the summer window opening on June 15.
The Italian manager is said to view the Brazil international as a 'dream' target for Spurs, although it will be 'tough' to prise him away from St James' Park.
It has been widely reported that Newcastle need to recoup money this summer for PSR reasons, although Anthony Gordon has already left for Barcelona in a big-money switch.
Sandro Tonali, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento have also been heavily linked with exits, but speculation around Guimaraes has been quiet so far.
There is no doubt that signing the 28-year-old would be a huge statement of intent, given he is Newcastle captain and has been described as 'one of the best midfielders in the world' by Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli.
Joao Palhinha Giving Priority to Tottenham
De Zerbi made it clear in the final weeks of the season that he wants to sign Bayern Munich loanee Joao Palhinha on a permanent basis this summer.
There have been mixed reports on Palhinha's stance on signing for Spurs on a full-time basis however, with reports in his homeland suggesting that Tottenham have pulled out of a deal as he wanted to join Sporting Lisbon instead of remaining in London.
However, in recent days, Fabrizio Romano has reported that the 30-year-old is giving priority to remaining at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, given his strong relationship with De Zerbi.
Should Spurs fail to reach a deal with Bayern Munich, Romano says that Sporting are ready to act and bring the Portugal international back to Lisbon.
As well as his defensive midfield duties, Palhinha popped up with two crucial goals in the north London outfit's battle against relegation, scoring in wins against Wolves and Everton.