Tottenham Hotspur are set to sign Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi on a four-year deal.
Senesi’s contract at the south-coast club is due to expire this summer and he is now expected to complete a move to north London.
The Athletic reported in April that Roberto De Zerbi’s side were leading contenders for his signature, subject to maintaining their Premier League status, and had entered into advanced talks with the Argentinian.
Spurs avoided relegation from the top tier on the final day of the season, beating Everton 1-0 to ensure they finished two points above West Ham United in 18th.
Senesi, 29, played in all but one of Bournemouth’s Premier League games this season as Andoni Iraola’s side qualified for Europa League for the first time in their history. Iraola, however, confirmed he was leaving at the end of the 2025-26 campaign in April.
Senesi joined Bournemouth in 2022 and has made 128 appearances across the four seasons, registering six goals and ten assists.
He played in two friendlies for Argentina over the course of the 2025-26 campaign and was named in Lionel Scaloni’s long list for the World Cup, but did not make the final squad, which was announced on Thursday.
Tottenham are also in pole position to add Andy Robertson to their back line when the left-back’s Liverpool contract expires this summer, also aided by their Premier League survival.
‘Things are heading in the right direction’
Analysis by Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Jay Harris
Last summer, Spurs were heavily criticised for taking too long to dip into the transfer market. While their rivals started spending significant sums of money as soon as the 2024-25 season finished, Spurs wasted a couple of weeks hesitating about the long-term future of then head coach Ange Postecoglou before replacing him with Thomas Frank. They deserve some credit for acting swiftly to tie up this deal for Marcos Senesi.
The 29-year-old will offer them a proven alternative at left-sided centre-back to Micky van de Ven. Senesi excels at playing line-breaking passes which means he will offer head coach Roberto De Zerbi something different to Van de Ven’s surging forward runs.
The Argentine’s arrival will mean Spurs have five senior centre-backs in a season where they will not be competing in Europe. It raises the possibility of a potential departure, for example captain Cristian Romero, who has publicly criticised the club’s senior figures on multiple occasions in 2026, and they will be protected if that happens.
In an open letter to supporters on Monday, non-executive chairman Peter Charrington pledged to build a squad “with the right blend of experience, youth and leadership.” Charrington added that “we will invest across multiple transfer windows to rebuild, balance and strengthen, with this summer representing an important first step in that work.”
It is going to take a long time for the supporters to trust Charrington, chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange again after a dreadful season but signing Senesi suggests things are heading in the right direction.