Tottenham are reportedly plotting a blockbuster move for Bournemouth centre-back Illia Zabarnyi, who remains a key target for Paris Saint-Germain.
Spurs have completed the big signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, remain confident of a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White despite Nottingham Forest’s legal challenge, and now Thomas Frank wants to bring in defensive reinforcements.
After signing Kevin Danso on a permanent deal following his loan last term, Frank is reportedly keen to sign another new centre-back.
According to talkSPORT, Tottenham have ‘registered an interest’ in Bournemouth defender Zabarnyi, and are attempting to ‘hijack’ PSG’s move for the 22-year-old.
However, Bournemouth are under no pressure to sell Zabarnyi and are reluctant to do so after selling centre-back Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid earlier in the window.
The report claims that it would take a ‘substantial fee’ for the Cherries to consider selling Zabarnyi.
TEAMtalk transfer insider Rudy Galetti exclusively revealed on June 22 that PSG had a €60million (£51.4m, $69m) bid rejected by Bournemouth.
Tottenham would therefore have to pay north of that amount to prise Zabarnyi away from the South coast club.
Tottenham plot move for PSG target
Tottenham are keen to back Frank in the market and are pushing to finalise a deal for Gibbs-White in the coming days.
If a transfer for Zabarnyi follows, he would give the former Brentford coach another strong option in defence, who has potential to improve further.
The interest in Zabarnyi comes amid speculation surrounding key Spurs centre-back Cuti Romero.
Atletico Madrid have been heavily linked with the Argentine international, though reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has insisted that no formal offer has been launched by the LaLiga side.
But even if Romero doesn’t leave this summer, his contract expires in 2027 and if he doesn’t pen an extension this season, Spurs may be forced into selling him in a year’s time.
Zabarnyi, like Romero, is a right-footed centre-back and he could potentially replace Romero in the long-term, if the 27-year-old pursues a move elsewhere.
Tottenham are yet to submit a bid for Zabarnyi but he is on their radar and a player for supporters to watch out for in the coming weeks.
Speaking about Zabarnyi in February, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said: “During the time I have been working at the club, we have never once made the decision to substitute him for even a minute.
“This speaks to our trust in him, how reliable and strong he is, and also that he is one of those players who is very easy to train.
“He is always attentive, comes to training every day in great spirits, and I also enjoy watching his development because when I arrived, he was a fantastic player but quite shy.
“He didn’t speak much, and now you can see how he organizes everyone in defense. This shows how he is developing and becoming more and more important for us. I love him as a person and as a player.”
FULL BREAKDOWN 👉 All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the summer 2025 transfer window