Tottenham Hotspur are ready to put all their energies into a new club record deal for an elite Premier League playmaker who they have ‘relief belief’ they can sign, and with Thomas Frank understood to be ready to pull the plug on their move for Manchester United target Bryan Mbeumo.
Mbeumo has found himself in huge demand this summer after making it clear he was keen to leave Brentford and make the next step in his career. And while the Bees are not prepared to stand in the 25-year-old Cameroon international’s way, they have made it clear they will demand a high price to let the talismanic star move on.
However, after Mbeumo made clear his preference to join Manchester United, the Red Devils have been feverishly working at trying to strike a deal with the Bees. Their first offer – worth £45m guaranteed and a further £10m in add-ons – was quickly batted away.
It has now emerged that United have lodged a second offer with the London club – now worth around the £60m mark and with a larger percentage of the cash laid down up front.
And while it has been said that Tottenham Hotspur were prepared to make a more hefty offer, Sky Sports now suggests the renewed offer from United, coupled with the fact that Mbeumo’s preference has always been Old Trafford, means they are now prepared to walk away from a possible move for the Brentford man.
Spurs, though, are not prepared to dwell on that apparent miss for too long, with multiple sources now revealing that a bold move is being planned for an alternative addition.
And according to both The Mirror and talkSPORT, Frank has now ordered Spurs to instead put their energies into a move for Crystal Palace superstar Eberechi Eze.
The 11-cap England star was mentioned as a target for Spurs last summer before they instead decided to strengthen in other areas of their side.
However, per the latest reports, Spurs now have a renewed belief that a deal is there to be done and a deal is seen as a relatively straightforward one to complete with a £68m exit clause existing in the player’s Selhurst Park contract.
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Tottenham transfers: Frank has ‘belief’ Eze deal can be done
Per The Mirror, Frank wants Spurs bosses to move quickly and decisively for Eze, believing a deal will be far easier to strike than moves for both Mbeumo and another reported target in Antoine Semenyo.
Indeed, with Bournemouth having already lost Dean Huijsen this summer and with Milos Kerkez and Illia Zabarnyi also subject to big-money offers, the Cherries are ready to play hardball and demand an eye-watering fee for winger Semenyo.
But with a price in place for Eze – set at £68m (€80m, $92.5m) – Spurs know exactly what would be required to land the 26-year-old and without the need for messy negotiations.
Furthermore, the fact they can offer Eze, who finished the 2024/25 campaign with 14 goals and 11 assists from 43 appearances – the Champions League football he craves and stay in his native London has given them ‘real belief’ a deal is there to be done.
Such a move, though, would still represent a new club-record deal for Tottenham, beating the £65m package (£55m up front, £10m in add-ons) paid last summer to Bournemouth for Dominic Solanke.
Indeed, according to our transfer insider, Fraser Fletcher, Spurs have already been in contact over a deal for Eze, having learned they have until mid-August to trigger his clause before it expires.
Fletcher has also revealed that Spurs could yet look to offer the Eagles a possible swap deal in order to reduce their initial outlay for Eze.
Tottenham transfer latest: Deal on for Japan defender; Richarlison upgrade eyed
Meanwhile, multiple sources have confirmed that Spurs have agreed a deal for Japanese centre-half, Kota Takai, which will net the selling side a club-record fee.
Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly given the ‘green light’ for injury-plagued striker Richarlison to join a European heavyweight this summer, with an exciting replacement for the Brazilian already lined up.
Frank is also plotting a crafty free-transfer swoop to bring a former Spurs academy man back to the club this summer, per reports.