Tottenham are after a few more key summer signings before deadline day on September 1.
Preferably for new manager Thomas Frank, they'd secure their desired targets before taking on European champions PSG in their looming UEFA Super Cup final, but it is rarely that straightforward when it comes to Spurs.
The Lilywhites are currently embroiled in a lengthy transfer saga involving Morgan Gibbs-White, who was due to have a medical on July 11 before Nottingham Forest blocked the 25-year-old's move and threatened legal action against Spurs.
This has caused an unceremonious delay, but Tottenham are optimistic they can still sign Gibbs-White behind-the-scenes (Fabrizio Romano), even if they may have to wait a bit longer before announcing the England international as their fifth major signing of the summer after Kevin Danso, Mathys Tel, Kota Takai and Mohammed Kudus.
If Spurs' £60 million deal for Gibbs-White goes through, then it would take Daniel Levy's summer spending to around £172 million, providing they don't have to pay Forest more compensation to sweeten the deal.
“The end result is that to get this deal done, Tottenham are probably gonna have to negotiate with Nottingham Forest a fee that includes not just the £60m release clause, but a little extra to effectively buy themselves out of the dispute, or walk away," said Football Finance expert Stefan Borson to Football Insider.
“Now, we’ve seen in the past other teams have walked away. Of course, we know Liverpool walked away from Van Dijk and came back in January.
"I still think the most likely scenario is that Spurs are the only team that want to buy the player right now, that they’ll pay an extra, let’s say, £5-10m, maybe an extra £5m plus £5m, and the deal could get done. That would be the most likely outcome."
As well as Gibbs-White, Tottenham are targeting a new number six, with Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha on their list of potential targets, as reliably reported by Alasdair Gold.
The north Londoners are also contenders to sign Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, alongside Newcastle United and Forest, with the Congolese recently travelling to London for talks over his future (Ben Jacobs).
Tottenham's four-word transfer promise to Thomas Frank
Whatever the outcome of these pursuits, it appears Levy and co are very active in the market right now, which links in to an alleged promise they've made Frank about recruitment this summer.
According to Spanish news outlet Diario AS, Tottenham have given Frank an encouraging four-word message in regard to their transfer plans before 2025/2026 - simply stating "investment and more investment" - as quoted by the outlet.
This comes as Levy looks to make a "statement" to the rest of the Premier League this summer, which comes as a promising bit of news for supporters who are about to watch Frank's attempts to compete on multiple fronts.
They were once tipped for a 'sell to buy' summer at one stage, but their advancing talks over a stadium naming rights deal and rumoured cash injection from ENIC appear to have negated the need for high-profile players to depart.
Now, Frank is set to benefit, and as things stand, Levy is making good on the club's pledge.