Tottenham Hotspur are set to complete the signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.
The clubs have agreed a deal worth €60million (£51.8m; $70m) for the 22-year-old Netherlands international attacker.
Personal terms are also in place and Simons completed a medical on Thursday ahead of finalising the proposed transfer to the north London side, which is now only subject to Simons closing off the last details of his exit with Leipzig
The Athletic reported on Thursday Spurs had submitted an opening bid for Simons after Leipzig had granted him permission to travel to London as they looked to resolve his future.
Spurs are interested in the playmaker as they aim to strengthen head coach Thomas Frank’s attacking options before the September 1 transfer deadline — having missed out on deals for Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze and lost James Maddison to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Chelsea have also been interested in a move for Simons this summer, and on Thursday reached an agreement with AC Milan over the transfer of forward Christopher Nkunku.
The Netherlands international is available this summer, despite only joining the Bundesliga club on a €50m permanent deal from Paris Saint-Germain in January.
The Athletic reported in July that Bayern Munich had enquired about Simons after he expressed a desire to leave their Bundesliga rivals.
Spurs and England midfielder Maddison is expected to miss the majority of the season following surgery on his ACL, while Eze joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace and Gibbs-White signed a new contract at Nottingham Forest.
Spurs have already completed the permanent signings of attackers Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel, who spent the second half of 2024-25 on loan at Spurs from Bayern, alongside the loan arrival of Joao Palhinha.
Simons spent time in Barcelona’s La Masia academy before stints at Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven and Leipzig.
‘Simons yet to find his best role’
Xavi Simons was meant to be one of the hottest properties during this window. When he told RB Leipzig that he was ready to leave, back in May, a deal for one of Europe’s most talented playmakers was expected to be concluded even before the summer had even begun.
It still hasn’t happened. Why?
Like a few of his team-mates, Simons suffered from Leipzig’s relatively poor season (they finished seventh, which was the lowest Bundesliga finish since being promoted in 2016), even though his individual production was relatively healthy.
The bigger problem has been that teams don’t really know what to do with him. Simons has played in a Leipzig system that uses a very specific type of No 10 — part wide-forward, part supporting striker — and there aren’t many teams in the top-five leagues who can accommodate such a player.
With that doubt, clubs baulked at the prospect of paying such a large fee for a player who remains somewhat theoretical. What actually is he? What is his best role? And it seems only now, with Leipzig more lenient on their asking price and keen to move on, that interest is being properly formalised.
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