Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly advancing with a move to sign Bournemouth centre-back Illia Zabarnyi, with a £60m offer likely to be accepted by the Cherries, according to Football Insider.
Zabarnyi has been a revelation since arriving in the Premier League for Bournemouth, forming a strong partnership with Dean Huijsen under Andoni Iraola last season. Huijsen perhaps took more of the credit during the 2024/2025 campaign, earning himself a move to Real Madrid, but Zabarnyi was a key cog in Iraola's side.
Tottenham could be in the market for a new centre-back this summer due to uncertainty surrounding the future of Argentinian defender Cristian Romero. GIVEMESPORT sources have confirmed that Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Romero, with Spurs waiting to discover whether he wants to join the La Liga giants.
Tottenham Advancing Move for Illia Zabarnyi
A £60m offer likely to be accepted
A report from Football Insider has claimed that Tottenham are advancing with a move to sign Bournemouth defender Zabarnyi and are now the frontrunners to secure his signature, despite interest from French outfit Paris Saint-Germain. It's suggested that a bid in excess of £60m would likely be accepted and could see him complete a move to north London.
Thomas Frank, who was appointed as Tottenham manager earlier in the summer after Ange Postecoglou was sacked, did deploy a three-at-the-back system during his time with Brentford. As a result, he could be looking for an additional centre-back to help him implement this system, especially if Romero heads through the exit door.
In Tottenham's first pre-season friendly under Frank against Reading, the Danish manager played a four-at-the-back system, but with young defender Luka Vuskovic making an impressive impact off the bench, scoring and providing an assist, it will be interesting to see whether Frank tinkers with his formation in the coming weeks.
Zabarnyi, described as 'unbelievable' by Philip Billing, could be a smart addition for Spurs, considering the impact he's already made at Premier League level despite being far from reaching his full potential.
Sign up to The GIVEMESPORT Report to get exclusive daily updates from Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs, Dean Jones and Tom Bogert sent straight to your inbox.