TEAMtalk

Tottenham are primed to offload an unwanted player for less than half what they paid just two seasons ago, with the full details on an ‘advanced’ exit emerging.

A defensive clear-out is on the cards at Tottenham this summer. Spurs recently confirmed Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga will leave the club outright when their contracts expire at the end of June.

Dier will stay with Bayern Munich where he spent the last six months on loan. Tanganga is expected to join Millwall outright following a successful loan spell. Elsewhere, Ryan Sessegnon will also depart as a free agent later this month.

Joe Rodon is another who could leave and Tottenham will listen to offers for for the Wales international.

A permanent switch to Leeds United had been anticipatedif the Whites won promotion, though their agonising failure in the play-offs means they’re more likely to be sellers than buyers this summer.

Djed Spence has the green light to leave and is courting interest from Serie A side Genoa where he was loaned to earlier this year.

Finally, Emerson Royal is on the chopping block and wanted at AC Milan, while Sergio Reguilon is free to find a new club.

Today’s update regards Spence who has not proven value for money following his £20m arrival from Middlesbrough in 2022.

Spence’s tally at Spurs stands at just six first-team appearances. The 23-year-old has been turfed out on loan on three separate occasions since moving to north London.

According to Football Insider, Spence’s career with Spurs will end at the two-year mark, with a return to Genoa now advanced.

Full details in Spence to Genoa transfer

The right-back is open to re-joining Genoa and agreeing personal terms is not expected to be a problem.

A permanent sale had been anticipated, though FI report the terms of the deal being thrashed out relate to a loan with a conditional obligation to buy.

Should the conditional obligation be activated, Genoa will reportedly pay Tottenham £7m. As such, Spurs would be in line to receive significantly less than half what they paid just two years ago.

Nonetheless, it appears it’s a sacrifice worth making for Spurs to get Spence off their books. Per the report, whether the conditional obligation will be triggered will hinge on appearance targets.

As such, Tottenham will be keeping a close eye on how Spence fares at Genoa next season and particularly on their starting line-ups.

Another Tottenham defender who could leave this summer – albeit reluctantly from Spurs’ perspective – is Cristian Romero…

A Tottenham Hotspur attacker could be ditched as Ange Postecoglou has greenlit an offer for Takefusa Kubo, according to reports.

Kubo is a 23-year-old winger who mainly likes to play on the right flank but can also operate on the left or in the No 10 role if needed. He has already had an eventful career despite his young age, having represented Barcelona at youth level, been on Real Madrid’s books and also played for other clubs such as FC Tokyo, Villarreal and Getafe.

Kubo was part of the Madrid system between 2019 and 2022 but never actually made an appearance for the Spanish giants as he had several loan spells away from the Bernabeu.

Two years ago, Real Sociedad finally gave Kubo a permanent home by signing him in a deal worth €6.5million.

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Since then, the wide man has registered 16 goals and 14 assists in 85 games for Sociedad. That is not the deadliest record around, but Kubo has earned a reputation as one of the best dribblers in La Liga.

The left-footed attacker excels at taking players on using his electric pace before either shooting or playing in one of his team-mates.

Tottenham recruitment chiefs have been very impressed by Kubo’s displays and are hoping to bring the Japan international – who has previously been linked with Liverpool and Arsenal – to England.

According to reports in Spain, Spurs are ‘determined’ to bolster Postecoglou’s forward ranks and have opened the bidding for Kubo at €50m (£42m).

Tottenham latest: Bid launched for Takefusa Kubo

A move at that price would see Sociedad make a big profit, although Spurs may have to up that proposal to forge an agreement. That is because Kubo has a contract which runs until June 2029 and it includes a €60m (£51m) release clause.

If Spurs’ initial bid for Kubo is rejected, then Postecoglou will urge club chiefs to return with an improved offer that matches the player’s release clause, as the manager has identified him as a ‘coveted target’ for the summer.

Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Aston Villa are also interested in Kubo, setting up a potential transfer battle between the two sides.

Kubo arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would spell trouble for current right winger Brennan Johnson.

Spurs paid Nottingham Forest £47.5m to sign Johnson last summer, and he has gone on to notch five goals and 10 assists in 34 games for the North London club so far.

But Johnson has picked up criticism for his unreliable form and his lack of composure in front of goal.

Postecoglou already appears to be eyeing up replacements and Kubo’s signing could see Johnson pick up limited game time next term.

Dejan Kulusevski is another right winger on Spurs’ books, though the Swede is also comfortable operating in the No 10 role, which means his playing time should not be as badly affected as Johnson’s.

Tottenham are staring down the barrel of a defensive crisis after Real Madrid prepared a damaging raid and Bayern Munich activated a centre-back’s release clause.

Despite possessing Cristian Romero and signing Micky van de Ven last summer and Radu Dragusin in January, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has called for another addition at centre-half.

Speaking in March, Postecoglou said: “If you’re saying ‘is it an area we can strengthen?’, yes it’s an area we will probably look at.

“With all these things it’s about trying to strengthen the group as much as anything else. If you think about when I first arrived, we had maybe six or seven centre-backs at the club. So it’s not just numbers.

“It’s more about the ability of those players to play the football we want and to fit in to what we’re trying to build here.

“I think it is an area of the park we will look to strengthen, but I think we’ll look to strengthen all areas of the park come the end of the season. That’s planning that’s already underway, and other people are in charge of it at the moment.”

But unfortunately for Postecoglou, Tottenham may soon require two new centre-backs.

Real Madrid make contact with Cristian Romero

ESPN Argentina broke news of Real Madrid targeting Argentine World Cup winner Romero.

Contact with the 26-year-old’s camp has already been made and Los Blancos president Florentino Perez is giving serious consideration to launching a bid.

The lure of joining one of Spain’s big two has often proved too much for South American stars to turn down in the past, much to the dismay of many a Premier League side.

If that news weren’t bad enough for Spurs, Bayern Munich have activated the release clause of a centre-back Tottenham had shortlisted.

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Bayern Munich snatch Hiroki Ito signing

Numerous sources in Germany as well as transfer guru Fabrizio Romano have confirmed Bayern have triggered Hiroki Ito’s €30m/£25.5m release clause.

The Japan international plays for Stuttgart and had recently emerged as a transfer target at Tottenham, though it now appears the 25-year-old left-footer is heading to Bavaria.

An agreement on personal terms between Bayern and Ito is being thrashed out on Wednesday night. The deal is hurtling towards completion and it’s not anticipated there’ll be any last minute drama to derail the move.

Bayern are seeking to revamp their centre-back ranks this summer and have put Manchester United target Matthijs De Ligt up for sale.

The German giant also hold concrete interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah and Levi Colwill of Chelsea.

A move for one of those two players is still on the agenda despite Ito’s imminent arrival. However, as yet, there is understood to be a large gap in Bayern and Leverkusen’s respective valuations of Tah who is their preferred target of the pair.

Nonetheless, the signing of Ito is a far more straightforward affair for Bayern thanks to the release clause.

News of his move to Munich will ring alarm bells in north London, especially if Real Madrid do act on their interest in Romero.

Elsewhere, Bayern have seen a second bid for Fulham destroyer Joao Palhinha turned down.

Bayern have already agreed personal terms with the Portuguese midfielder, though finalising a fee with Fulham is proving tricky.

Fulham are believed to value Palhinha around the £60m mark and as yet, Bayern have not come close to matching that valuation.

Real Madrid are showing serious interest in signing a Tottenham centre-back and contact with the defender’s camp has already been made, claims a report.

The centre-back position proved troublesome for Ange Postecoglou at times last season, primarily because of injuries.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are Postecoglou’s preferred pairing. However, in the instances where either player missed out, the Tottenham boss showed very little faith in January recruit Radu Dragusin.

The end result saw the likes of Emerson Royal deputising at the heart of defence on occasion. Few would argue it was an experiment that worked.

Postecoglou has publicly confirmed he hopes to sign a new centre-half this summer to add to Romero, Van de Ven and Dragusin.

However, according to ESPN Argentina, Postecoglou could be primed to lose a vital player before an addition is made.

They state Real Madrid are giving serious consideration to signing World Cup winner Romero and have already made contact with the Argentine’s camp.

Losing the 26-year-old would be a bitter pill to swallow for Tottenham, though it’s a scenario they may have trouble averting.

Indeed, the idea of signing for one of Spain’s big two (Barcelona being the other) often holds added appeal for South American stars like Romero.

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Tottenham disaster could be averted by Nacho renewal

Real Madrid already have Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao and David Alaba to select at centre-back. Club captain Nacho Fernandez is also on the books, though his contract is due to expire on June 30.

Whether Nacho stays or goes could prove pivotal in determining whether Real Madrid splash the cash on Romero.

Even if Nacho stays, at 34 he’s not a viable long-term option and Real Madrid will require a new signing at centre-back sooner rather than later.

Furthermore, Rudiger and Alaba are no spring chickens either, with both players aged 31.

Romero may well be the man Los Blancos turn to, with ESPN Argentina adding Real Madrid’s hierarchy have made contact with their counterparts at Tottenham.

The purpose of the contact was to find out whether Tottenham are receptive to a deal and if so, how much the transfer would cost.

The report concluded Real Madrid are giving serious thought to tabling an ‘imminent’ bid.

Tottenham have deemed enough is enough and prematurely terminated the contract of a player who’ll go down as one of the worst signings in Premier League history.

While their Premier League rivals like Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal have broken the £100m barrier on new recruits, Spurs’ current record signing is somewhat modest in comparison.

Tottenham splashed out an initial £55.45m to sign French maverick Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon back in 2019. If all of the add-ons included in the agreement were met, the final figure would have reached roughly £64m.

Record signing Ndombele struggled to make any meaningful level of impact during his early years in north London. That was despite the club cycling through numerous managers including serial winners Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

The end result saw Ndombele frequently loaned out over the past few seasons. Indeed, Ndombele spent time at former club Lyon, Italian giant Napoli and Turkish side Galatasaray on loan.

Various options to buy were inserted into those agreements, though not a single suitor saw fit to sign Ndombele outright.

Ndombele is currently in the final three weeks of a loan spell at Galatasaray that officially concludes on June 30.

Ordinarily he would have returned to Tottenham on that date and would then enter the final year of his Spurs contract which runs until the summer of 2025.

However, via their official website Tottenham have confirmed Ndombele’s contract has been terminated by mutual consent. The decision will take effect on June 30 when his spell in Turkey expires.

An official Spurs statement read: “The Club can confirm the departure of Tanguy Ndombele following the mutual termination of his contract, effective from 30 June, upon the conclusion of his current loan spell.

“Signed from Olympique Lyonnais in July, 2019, the midfielder scored on his debut against Aston Villa and went on to make 91 appearances for us in all competitions, scoring 10 goals.

“During his time here, Tanguy had loan spells back at Lyon, Napoli and with Turkish Süper Lig side Galatasaray last season.

“We should like to wish Tanguy all the best for the future.”

Ndombele Tottenham’s worst signing in EPL era?

Ndombele’s final reckoning in north London reads 91 appearances, 10 goals and nine assists.

As such, and taking into the account he’s Tottenham’s record buy, Ndombele will go down as one of the biggest flops in the Premier League era and perhaps Spurs’ worst buy since 1992.

A handful of recent Manchester United signings may well be in the conversation when their Old Trafford careers end.

Indeed, wingers Jadon Sancho (£73m) and Antony (£85m) can only be described as mega-money busts for the time being.

That will be of little consolation to Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy, however, who have seen fit to rid their books of Ndombele once and for all.

Tottenham Hotspur need to step up their bid to sign Conor Gallagher if they are to give Ange Postecoglou his main midfield target, as reports claim a major European club is pushing hard to land him first.

Gallagher appears to be following in the footsteps of another Chelsea academy graduate, Mason Mount. He will soon enter the final 12 months of his contract, and this has set up the possibility of him leaving Chelsea for a Premier League rival.

While Mount joined Manchester United in a £60million deal last summer, Gallagher has emerged as a top objective for Tottenham boss Postecoglou.

The 58-year-old feels Gallagher has all the attributes to thrive in his Tottenham setup and is resultantly pushing Spurs chiefs to forge an agreement.

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TEAMtalk transfer insider Fraser Gillan recently revealed that Spurs are planning to make an official offer to bring the England star to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But that bid still has not materialised, and Aston Villa are now ready to provide Spurs with competition for Gallagher’s capture. Although, Villa are not the only club Spurs need to watch out for.

In recent weeks, Gallagher has been linked with a surprise move to La Liga, as Atletico Madrid are keen on him.

According to the latest reports emerging from Spain, Atleti feel they are in a strong position to land the 24-year-old.

Tottenham transfers: Atleti go all out for Conor Gallagher

Diego Simeone’s side are ‘putting pressure’ on both Gallagher and Chelsea as they push to strike a deal.

Atleti will start the bidding at €30-35m (£25-29.5m), and that opening proposal could arrive in the coming days.

Chelsea, meanwhile, want more than £40m before selling the fan-favourite and could even hold out for £50m.

But with Gallagher’s contract running down, Atleti know that Chelsea will eventually have to drop their demands.

The La Liga giants will have to put on a huge charm offensive to prise Gallagher out of the Premier League, as he has only ever played in England before.

But Atleti feel they can oust Spurs as Gallagher’s most likely next destination by offering him Champions League football, something Postecoglou cannot.

Of course, Villa can offer Gallagher that too, though Atleti have a more illustrious recent history than the West Midlands outfit.

Atleti will also try to convince the former Crystal Palace loanee on a switch to the Wanda Metropolitano by pointing out the success of English players abroad, such as their former star Kieran Trippier, Bayern Munich talisman Harry Kane and Real Madrid ace Jude Bellingham.

Tottenham are firmly on course to win the race to sign Sevilla star Youssef En-Nesyri with the striker saying ‘yes’ to a move ahead of Manchester United, though a second deal for an Italy-based forward has been dismissed by the player himself.

Spurs made rapid strides under Ange Postecoglou during his first season at the helm, though sadly missed their ultimate goal of qualifying for the Champions League. And while a fifth-placed finish did secure Europa League football, that achievement will have tinged with disappointment after an indifferent run of results over the autumn and winter saw Tottenham let slip their position at the top of the Premier League table after 10 games.

While Spurs were never really genuine title contenders, the fact they failed to nail down a top-four berth illustrated to the Aussie that there is still much work to be done if the Lilywhites are to close the gap on the country’s top clubs.

As a result, TEAMtalk understands that Postecoglou has earmarked three priority positions to strengthen in this summer with a left-sided defender, another midfield option and a more prolific No 9 required.

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As far as a new striker is concerned, Spurs have been linked with a range of different options, including Ivan Toney, Santiago Gimenez and Jonathan David to name just three.

However, reports in Spain now claim Tottenham have firmly propelled themselves right to the front of the queue for Sevilla dangerman, En-Nesyri, who looks certain to leave the Andalusian club this summer after a hugely-prolific spell.

The Moroccan finds himself at something of a career crossroads with just a year left on his deal and amid claims Sevilla are having to sell the striker to help ease their financial concerns.

En-Nesyri to reject Man Utd and say ‘yes’ to Tottenham offer

And with Sevilla putting a relatively-modest fee on the 27-year-old’s head, interest has very quickly developed for the striker, who has struck 93 goals over 290 career appearances.

To that end, TEAMtalk correspondent Rudy Galetti confirmed earlier this week that Man Utd are interested in En-Nesyri and are to submit an offer of around €15-20m in the coming days.

However, competition for his signature is fierce and as well as interest from Saudi Arabia – who can offer the striker extraordinary wages – it’s now reported that Spurs have too launched a bid for his services.

And the good news for Postecoglou is that, according to Radio Sevilla, the proposal from Tottenham is seen as the ‘most attractive’ and the player is ready to say yes to the move, with the north London side seen as very much winning the race.

En-Nesyri’s deal is due to expire in summer 2025 and Sevilla are hoping to collect a fee of at least €20m – with negotiations over the transfer set to accelerate in the coming days.

Tottenham also have an added advantage with Sevilla sporting director Victor Orta keen on a deal for unwanted Spurs winger Bryan Gil, with the Spaniard potentially being used as a makeweight in negotiations.

It’s now claimed that, barring any last minute hitches, a deal to take En-Nesyri away from Sevilla ought to be agreed soon and the player could soon sign on the dotted line for the north London side.

Tottenham transfers: Genoa star set to snub move as he awaits Inter

It’s not all good news for Spurs, however, with the club likely to miss out on the capture of talented Genoa forward Albert Gudmundsson.

The Iceland star has been on the Tottenham radar for some months now and an offer to bring him to the Premier League was expected to arrive soon after the transfer window officially opened for business.

The 26-year-old made a big name for himself in the season just gone, scoring 16 times in 37 games and taking his overall tally to a rather respectable 31 in 87 appearances for the Serie A side.

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However, while he has made clear his interest in potentially trying his luck in the Premier League, the player’s preference appears to be on staying in Italy, where champions Inter Milan have also been touted for a move.

And now according to reports, Gudmunsson has informed his agent that he is ‘willing to wait for Inter’ and ‘wants to make a leap in his career but he would like to do it in Italy rather than in the Premier League’.

As a result, Spurs appear to have placed their interest on the backburner and will instead pursue a move for both En-Nesyri and another top target in Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze.

Tottenham want to give a big opportunity to a player who failed to make the grade at rivals Man Utd, it has been claimed.

It is not guaranteed that a Feyenoord star will follow Arne Slot to Liverpool, as Tottenham and Newcastle have joined the chase for him, as per reports.

Tottenham star Son Heung-min has just over 12 months remaining on his contract and TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal that interest in his signature is heating up.

Ange Postecoglou rightfully views the 31-year-old as one of his most important players and is determined to tie him down to a new deal.

Postecoglou has said many times that he has been very impressed with Son’s professionalism and influence in the dressing room.

The South Korean international scored an impressive 17 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions in 2023/24, as well as contributing 10 assists.

TEAMtalk has been informed that former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is keen to make Son one of his first signings at Fenerbahce amid the uncertainty surrounding him.

We understand that Mourinho has included the forward on his shortlist for the summer. At the moment, there has been no contact between clubs, but he is among the options being ‘evaluated’ by Fenerbahce.

The Portuguese coach knows Son well, having trained him for over a year and a half during his time with Spurs.

During this period, Son was a key part of the squad, contributing significantly with almost 40 goals under Mourinho’s management, and Jose considers him a suitable option for Fenerbahce.

Sources: Al-Ittihad also interested in Son

TEAMtalk sources say that Son is also being targeted by clubs in Saudi Arabia. He is viewed as one of Al-Ittihad’s backup solutions to strengthen the team during this summer’s transfer window

Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah remains the club’s main target but since negotiations for the Egyptian international have stalled – the Tottenham star is becoming increasingly interesting to them.

Al-Ittihad could make a big contract offer to Son should Spurs fail to tie him down to a new deal in the near future.

As mentioned, though, the North Londoners are determined to keep hold of Son for the foreseeable future and Postecoglou will do all he can to prevent his departure.

It’s no coincidence that talks over a renewal have been ongoing for several weeks and Tottenham are still optimistic about being able to extend the player’s contract.