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There have been so many conflicting reports about Son Heung-min's future at Tottenham. Early in the transfer window, it seemed like Son was more likely to go than stay, but in the last several weeks, Tottenham and Son appeared to have worked out an agreement to have the club legend remain in North London for the final year of his contract.

Recently, though, seemingly spoonfed quotes from Daniel Levy to manager Thomas Frank cast slight doubt on Son's future with the club. Frank invoked the classic line that the club would decide Son's future, and his remarks seemed more like a caution to not assume Son would be staying rather than genuine excitement at the South Korean icon sticking around.

According to a report from the Daily Telegraph's journalist Matt Law, there is a "key player clause" in Tottenham's tour contract in South Korea, meaning the club could not actually sell the 33-year-old left winger before the tour in Asia. Specifically, Tottenham are set to face Premier League rivals Newcastle on Aug. 3 in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

Tottenham could lose millions

If Tottenham were to sell Son and thus not have him available for the tour, which also features a July 31 battle against North London rivals Arsenal, then Tottenham would have risked forfeiting 75 percent of their total earnings from the tour. That is a whopping hit, and anyone who knows anything about Daniel Levy knows that he would not take that hit.

Law also reports that if Son were to travel with the team but not play in the game in Seoul against Newcastle, they'd lose half the fee. So to recap, if Son isn't in the squad, they lose three-quarters of their earnings from the match in Seoul. And if he doesn't play, it's a loss of 50 percent.

You can see why there's a more cynical reason why Tottenham have neither sold Son nor seriously entertained any transfer offers from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and MLS for the South Korean superstar. They can't afford to sell him now and miss out on that money.

That doesn't guarantee Son will be sold at all, but it means that a lack of transfer movement around the Tottenham icon doesn't necessarily indicate that the forward is safe. When August hits, we'll get a better idea of how serious Tottenham are about keeping Son, because the minute they return from Asia, we could see the transfer rumors ramp up.

Tottenham Hotspur are coming to the home stretch of the summer 2025 transfer window, and while it's been a surprisingly good market for Spurs in comparison to past windows what with the additions of Mohammed Kudus and Morgan Gibbs-White- assuming Gibbs-White does indeed arrive at N17 - there are still gaping holes in the squad in the middle of the park.

The lack of a top holding midfielder held Tottenham back last season, as Spurs were disorganized tactically from inadequate personnel in midfield - not just from Ange Postecoglou's unique tactical style. Tottenham have not signed a true midfielder this window, and they are going to have to make at least one notable signing to bolster their position.

Arguably the best overall option available in the middle of the park is hybrid 8/10 Xavi Simons. The RB Leipzig superstar has been one of the top players in the Bundesliga over the last two seasons, providing everything a midfielder could be asked to do: goals, chance creation, plenty of running, industrious defensive ball-winning, and elite ball progression.

Tottenham are interested in Simons, but so are London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea in what will surely be a battle of the heavyweights. The Blues appear to be the early favorites, leaving Daniel Levy and Spurs with something to do in order to bridge the gap for an important transfer target.

Chelsea are the ones in the lead, however

Per a report from Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea and Simons are in concrete talks with Simons, and they are trying to close in on a deal this week.

Tottenham are thus behind the curve, but they are in the picture. Per Plettenberg, Leipzig want to sell Simons this summer and are asking for at least 70 million euros in exchange, which would make Simons Tottenham's most expensive transfer target of the summer: Gibbs-White and Kudus both cost 60 and 55 million pounds, respectively.

It looks like Chelsea are in a clear lead, and as long as they pay the 70 million euros Leipzig are requesting, Simons will be theirs. Tottenham and even Arsenal are behind Chelsea, and there's a sense that Spurs could be behind the Gunners, too.

A 70 million euro fee for a world-class 22-year-old midfielder who scores, assists, progresses play, and even defends at a high level is actaully money well-spent and much better than spending more than 70 million euros on two inferior players who won't move the meter towards legitimate Premier League title contention.

Tottenham Hotspur are busy assembling a new-look attack for incoming manager Thomas Frank to conduct in the 2025/26 season, as Spurs are back in the Champions League and clearly have to do better than 17th placed in the Premier League going forward.

Already, Spurs have secured the permanent signing of uber-talented young left winger Mathys Tel, the purchase of one of the most exciting wingers in the Premier League in Mohammed Kudus from London rivals West Ham, and, soon, they will likely sign Nottingham Forest's biggest star Morgan Gibbs-White.

But Tottenham shouldn't be done there, and the North London giants are indeed looking at more established attacking names in the Premier League. One of those targets is disgruntled Manchester United 21-year-old Alejandro Garnacho, who is widely viewed as one of the biggest talents in the league and is also keenly admired by London rivals Chelsea and fellow top-five hopefuls Aston Villa.

Chelse are battling Tottenham for this signing, too

According to a report from James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph, the clubs going after Garnacho think that all it will take is just 40 million pounds to pry the talented Argentinian international away from Old Trafford this summer. All three of Villa, Spurs, and Chelsea are involved in the sweepstakes after Garnacho turned down the likes of Serie A champions Napoli, making it clear that he only wants the Premier League.

Tottenham already have Gibbs-White on the way to pair with veteran James Maddison as a No. 10 option in midfield, but Garnacho could still fit into the rotation. He can also play on either wing, and with Son Heung-min on his last legs at N17, Garnacho could work with Tel as the main left wing options after Son leaves Tottenham.

There's also the matter that the MGW signing is far from official, and if a deal for the 25-year-old attacking midfielder were to fall apart, Garnacho could be the alternative. And at 40 million pounds, Garnacho would be significantly cheaper than Gibbs-White, who was signed by Tottenham from a 60 million pound release clause.

Just 40 million pounds for one of the most physically and technically gifted young midfielders in the Premier League - let alone one playing for the mighty Manchester United - may be too good of a deal for even Daniel Levy to pass up on. Garnacho is an inconsistent gamble, but he's also a real gem of a footballer who could pay off handsomely for one of these aspiring title contenders.

Tottenham Hotspur are still riding a high after winning the Europa League to cap off an otherwise dismal 2024/25 season in the Premier League, but one of their London rivals, Chelsea, are riding an even bigger high after conquering the likes of PSG as winners of the Club World Cup. And that's after they already won the Conference League and secured 2025/26 Champions League football with a top-five finish.

The controversial and incredibly expensive Todd Boehly-led sporting project at Chelsea is finally paying dividends, and the rich only got richer this summer. If Tottenham fans would be satisfied with the trio of Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, and Morgan Gibbs-White enriching their squad, then look at the incomings at Chelsea in Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Liam Delap, Estevao Willian, Andrey Santos, Joao Pedro, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo, and Kendry Paez.

That's an embarrassment of young, high-upside riches, and Chelsea don't look like they are stopping any time soon. The Blues and Tottenham are going toe-to-toe for several more transfer targets before the summer 2025 window closes, and the most prominent of them is RB Leipzig center midfelder Xavi Simons, who is one of the best young midfielders in world football right now.

Chelsea already have a crazy good midfield

According to new information from top insider Fabrizio Romano, Simons has "opened doors" to a move to Chelsea this summer, as his camp have made direct contact with Chelsea over a move. Starting today, Tuesday, the Blues and Leipzig will begin talks between each other regarding the transfer fee.

That's a big step and a concrete development in Chelsea's favor on the Simons front, whereas Tottenham have a bigger need for a midfielder. Chelsea have the Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez with Cole Palmer in the playmaker role, and they have Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia as depth options along with Andrey Santos coming in with Essugo. That's incredible, and yet they are still going after the world-class Simons.

Tottenham are in trouble here, and they need to step things up. Daniel Levy doesn't have any better options than Simons on the transfer market right now, and Spurs have done very little to go after midfielders - other than Morgan Gibbs-White, who is way too attacking to play as an 8. Simons, meanwhile, can be a top-class 8 or a 10 for either Chelsea or Tottenham. Spurs have been second-best to their London rivals too often this window, and they don't want to fall this behind on Simons.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank is quietly building a team in his image, while keeping the talented pieces of the past and reintegrating in a way that will suit them best. Frank has coaxed some of the biggest attacking breakout performances in the Premier League over the past couple of seasons, including Manchester United-bound right winger Bryan Mbeumo and former Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

If Morgan Gibbs-White joins Mohammed Kudus this summer, Frank will have several intriguing pieces to work with in the Tottenham attack, but Spurs are still working on trying to give their new manager the right ingredients behind all of them in midfield. So far, Lucas Bergvall is the only truly exciting midfield player.

Frank also needs to add some workhorses, too, especially with Tottenham pushing hard to find buyers for Yves Bissouma, whose time as a Tottenham player has clearly run its course. The midfield is now Spurs most pressing need in the summer transfer window.

According to a report from TBR Football's Graeme Bailey and Jamie Brown, Tottenham are back in the race for former Chelsea midifelder Conor Gallagher, who currently plays his football at Atletico Madrid in La Liga. Gallagher was on Tottenham's transfer radar earlier in the transfer window, but those links cooled.

He wasn't good enough for Chelsea

Now, it appears they have been revived with Thomas Frank reportedly a fan of Gallagher's. The 25-year-old box-to-box midfielder is said to be open to a move away from the Spanish capital due to concerns over the importance of his role and overall playing time under Diego Simeone.

Chelsea pushed Gallagher out to make space for a pivot of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, which proved to be a winning move. Enzo Maresca came in as Chelsea manager and helped the two dominate Premier League midfields, with Chelsea returning to Champions League qualification immediately.

Meanwhile, Gallagher played for a title contender in Spain, but he started fewer than 20 games and clearly didn't look like a fit in La Liga. Chelsea fans had their concerns with Gallagher technically despite his decent performances for them and his standout displays as a No. 10 for Crystal Palace before that.

Gallagher is a proven Premier League commodity, but, as Chelsea found out, he's not a star. And if he wasn't good enough for them, then why would he be good enough for another London powerhouse club aiming to make the Champions League on an annual basis? Gallagher, though, does have grit and some creativity, so if Atleti are reasonable, maybe Frank wouldn't be foolish to pursue him. He is much better than Bissouma, after all, though hardly inspiring either.

With no climax to the Morgan Gibbs-White transfer saga imminent, some might say it's time for Spurs to go down a different route.

However, the club look set to miss out on an excellent alternative to the England international, who didn't fly to Portugal with the rest of the Nottingham Forest squad for their pre-season tour on Monday.

Reports suggest that Gibbs-White's absence is due to a personal issue, as opposed to any transfer speculation. He's expected to fly out later this week. Spurs are still pushing to complete a deal, but patience is starting to wear thin among some online supporters.

All has been quiet on the Western Front over the past week, with the Gibbs-White saga seemingly stalling the club's progress in the transfer market after completing deals for Kota Takai and Mohammed Kudus, who shone in the first pre-season outing of the summer against Reading on Saturday.

Tottenham risk missing out on Xavi Simons as Morgan Gibbs-White deal continues to stall

Gibbs-White remains Spurs' priority, with Fabrizio Romano (via The Spurs Express on X) insisting that the club are still hoping to close a deal for the England international.

However, there's a very real possibility that Gibbs-White doesn't end up in Lilywhite following Forest's complaints of an "illegal approach". While the Midlands club are resigned to losing their star playmaker this summer, they're reportedly starting to offer him to other clubs.

That, of course, is far from good news for us.

Moreover, I listed RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons as my ideal alternative to the Englishman, but Romano has reported that Chelsea are the frontrunners for the Dutchman's signature. The Italian journalist understands that Simons is open to a move to west London, although the Blues are yet to strike a deal with the Bundesliga club.

It's believed that Leipzig would accept a fee less than €70m (£60.7m) for the slick creator's services, and we know Spurs have this sort of money to splurge, given that we were willing to trigger the £60m release clause in Gibbs-White's Forest contract that no one was supposed to know about.

Simons certainly differs from our priority target. The Dutch international is less powerful over large distances and less effusive out of possession, but he's masterful in pockets and a lovely footballer to watch. He's a low-block compromiser if I've ever seen one, with his schooling at La Masia bearing fruit at senior level.

Simons is the epitome of a No. 10, for me, and I think he'd be a superb fit in the marauding playmaker role Alfie Devine performed at the weekend. This is surely a player Spurs should at least be intrigued by, and I wouldn't be sure where to turn next if a solution to this Gibbs-White nonsense isn't stumbled upon anytime soon.

Forest fans are fuming. Spurs supporters are stupefied. Evangelos Marinakis has donned his cuirass and initiated legal action, once again. But this time he’s going into legal battle against Daniel Levy, which must make the Tottenham chairman happier than a pig in slop.

The ongoing saga of Morgan Gibbs-White’s magically met release clause has left the English football world riveted, confused, and frantically speculating about an allegedly confidential contractual detail.

One can only imagine the discomfort Morgan Gibbs-White felt upon his arrival at Nottingham Forest’s training facility, and the utter mayhem taking place in the boardroom and back rooms on Wilford Lane. Someone screwed up, but no one knows who, why or what exactly they did. Nevertheless, one must assume heads will roll in Nottinghamshire before the saga reaches a public conclusion.

Did Morgan Gibbs-White leak the exact amount of the release clause? Is his agent the mole? Is someone else at CAA Base responsible? Who on Spurs’ side initiated contact with Gibbs-White or his agent? Did some “tapping up” take place in a dark car park?

The mysteries make the story absolutely delicious.

Tottenham beat destiny

But one storyline has seldom been discussed since The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath broke the story on July 10. Prior to the Club World Cup, Morgan Gibbs-White seemed destined to continue his career at Manchester City before reports emerged that talks were scuppered due to the perceived difficulty of negotiating a quick deal with Marinakis and the price tag, which was reported to have started at £100 million before dropping to £70 million.

If we are to believe that Tottenham agreed to pay £60 million to trigger Morgan Gibbs-White’s release clause, then it stands to reason that Manchester City were clearly unaware it existed. But if someone in the know was willing to leak the exact figure to Daniel Levy, why wouldn’t they have done so for Pep Guardiola? It beggars belief to think Gibbs-White was hell-bent on Tottenham. A more plausible reason would be his contract demands.

Until we learn the details of Gibbs-White’s contract with Spurs, we can do little but speculate. But reports that outside investors will soon pour hundreds of millions of quid into Tottenham’s coffers suggest Daniel Levy was willing to make the Nottingham Forest star one of Spurs’ highest-paid players. Levy could have more than doubled Gibbs-White’s current wages of £80,000 per week by simply matching the reported £165,000-a-week Timo Werner earned last year.

Perhaps there were ancillary reasons. Gibbs-White may have been promised playing time. He may have been sold on Thomas Frank’s project. He may have grown weary of negotiating an improved deal with Evangelos Marinakis. He might simply desire to live in London.

Chances are the public will only receive crumbs of the delicious mystery once the saga is all said and done. But one thing seems certain; there is more to the story than Spurs discovering a confidential release clause.

Tottenham Hotspur have already landed two notable names in the summer transfer market in former Bayern Munich gem Mathys Tel and West Ham's Mohammed Kudus, who has the potential to become one of the most exciting players to watch in the Premier League. And another relatively young breakout star, Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest, could soon join the exciting, Thomas Frank-coached Spurs attack in 2025.

Yet it doesn't look like Tottenham are done there. They are still eyeing other players who can star as attacking midfielders and/or wingers, including one big name who can do both and could potentially join forces with GIbbs-White - or even be the England international's contingency plan if Nottingham Forest's petulant fit actually proves successful.

Tottenham have recently been linked to Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho, which is news that has been met to mixed reactions among the Spurs faithful. Although Garnacho is raw and maddeningly inconsistent, there's no question that the Argentinian international is a special talent with rare technical and physical abilities who can become a superstar in the right environment - such as an environment met by the cool and intelligent Thomas Frank.

Tottenham won't want to look less prestigious than Aston Villa

The thing is, Garnacho comes with stiff competition. Not only are ambitious crosstown rivals Chelsea highly keen on Garnacho, who made it clear to Napoli and other suitors that he only wants to stay in the Premier League, but there is also significant interest from Aston Villa in him.

According to a report from TBR Football's Graeme Bailey and Kieran Smith, Alejandro Garnacho is now open to joining Aston Villa this summer transfer window. Villa and Unai Emery have made an intriguing pitch to Garnacho, who is willing to listen and understands the benefits of joining their project, in view of what Emery has done to get the most out of players like Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins as major Premier League breakout stars in the last two seasons.

Tottenham and Aston Villa have become familiar rivals in the Premier League recently, trading blows for Champions League spots. While neither side qualified last season, both will be back for vengeance in 2025/26, and when it comes to competing on the transfer market, Spurs especially won't want to lose to Villa, who are not historically seen as being on the same level as Tottenham. Spurs don't want to cede that prestige battle when they are trying to move up and definitively join London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal once and for all.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank can't be overly pleased with one aspect of his squad heading into the 2025/26 Premier League and Champions League seasons, and knowing how important it is to have a stable base from which to attack as a manager who likes to play free-flowing football, Frank will be doubly worried about Tottenham's biggest area of need.

Coming into the summer 2025 transfer window, Daniel Levy and the other big decision-makers at N17 had to know that, regardless of their next manager, Spurs needed to address their holding midfield situation with quality and quantity.

But instead of bringing out the big guns, Tottenham have signed nobody, and they are sitting idly by as good market opportunities to fortify depth at the position - and help facilitate a transfer out for the unwanted Yves Bissouma - are flying off the shelves for other clubs.

In the latest transfer twist, Fabrizio Romano has indeed given Portuguese giants Benfica the fabled "Here We Go" for a Richard Rios transfer from Palmeiras. Despite being linked to Rios for months and then watching him shine as one of the best players at the Club World Cup this summer, Tottenham didn't even try to make an approach for a 25-year-old with elite athletic and ball-winning traits in the middle of the park.

Tottenham missed out on an affordable transfer

Maybe Tottenham were worried about how Rios would translate to the Premier League, but for a 30 million euro price tag worth only a little bit more than what Bissouma will be sold for, Tottenham could have signed a player with much more upside than Bissouma and about the same downside as a clearly unwanted midfielder.

With Rios headed to Benfica, Tottenham are now down another affordable, talented, and relatively young midfield option who would have been a totally different profile to what they have and could have helped shore up the defense at the heart of the squad significantly.

Tottenham want to play exciting attacking football under Frank with players like Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, and James Maddison anchoring that effort, and Morgan Gibbs-White will likely be a part of that attacking effort, too.

But you can't attack optimally without bringing in top holding midfield talent to make it all tick with covering defense on counterattacks, smart passing in possession, and deep creativity to playmake in transition. Tottenham could have had the defensive boxes checked with Rios, allowing them to land another defensive midfielder to focus on creativity. Now, they have nothing.

Tottenham Hotspur made one of the most underrated moves of any club in European football this transfer window as an extension from a bit of business in the winter, signing high-upside left winger Mathys Tel for a meager 35 million euros on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich, who inexplicably gave up on the young talent they once believed in.

Tel clearly showed an affinity for Tottenham on and off the pitch with his desire, work rate, and connection with the fans in just six months. But Tottenham are still looking for more help on the left wing with club legend Son Heung-min's future still up in the air on an expiring contract.

Bayern Munich have their own gaping hole on the left wing, as they not only need a new starter, with Luis Diaz of Liverpool standing out as the dream option, but they also need a secondary option after selling off Tel to Tottenham.

A target on Tottenham and Chelsea's radar

According to a report from top transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Bayern Munich are showing interest in young Lyon left winger Malick Fofana, who is one of the best young players at the position in his own right. Romano writes that Fofana is seen by Bayern as an alternative to Diaz if Liverpool continue to refuse to sell the Colombian superstar, but, in all honesty, Fofana fits well as a signing in conjunction with Diaz.

Fofana is an open secret in European football and wanted by a number of elite clubs, including a couple in the Premier League. One of those clubs is Tottenham and the other is Chelsea. His 45 millino pound price tag is actually reasonable for a top young left wing talent from Lyon who was one of Ligue 1's standout attacking players last season.

Of course, when you note that Tottenham paid significantly less for Tel, though he wasn't as productive as Fofana in a tougher league last season, it makes that deal look even better for Spurs. But if Tottenham want to sign Fofana as an option alongside Tel and to add more top young talent to a crop of wingers that still needs more depth on the left, then they have to worry about Bayern's serious interest in the 20-year-old Belgian No. 11 with more Europa League goals than starts last season.

In all honesty, Tottenham will probably avoid spending 45 million pounds in a bidding war with the likes of Chelsea and Bayern for Fofana, but there aren't many great options on the left wing on the transfer market, especially not young ones with world-class upside. Tottenham already landed one in Tel, but they will have to keep looking out for market opportunities with an eye on life after Sonny.