TEAMtalk

Fabrizio Romano has given Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United a double boost in their pursuit of Jonathan David, though Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly opened preliminary talks about signing the centre-forward first.

David played in his native Canada and in Belgium before arriving at Lille in August 2020. Since then, the striker has managed to score 84 goals in 183 games, which includes a very impressive 26 strikes in 47 appearances during the recently completed campaign.

David has made a name for himself as one of the deadliest attackers in Ligue 1, and he played an important role in Lille surprisingly beating Paris Saint-Germain to the French title in the 2020-21 season.

David is currently on international duty with Canada. The hitman played a full 90 minutes during his country’s 2-0 defeat to Argentina in their first Copa America group stage match on Friday.

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The 24-year-old could end up securing a transfer either while he is in the Canada camp, or soon after he returns. David has been heavily linked with Man Utd, while David Ornstein revealed on Saturday that Chelsea are in discussions to snare him.

In his latest column for the Daily Briefing, Romano has lifted Man Utd’s hopes of winning the race for David by cooling speculation about the forward’s prospective move to Chelsea and revealing there is a very high chance he will swap Lille for a major new club.

“[David to Chelsea] is not something that at the moment I’m told is imminent or close,” Romano said.

“I think they [Chelsea] are just speaking to many clubs and many agents to understand the situation of several strikers on the market.

Man Utd transfers: Fabrizio Romano issues Jonathan David update

“But at the moment, I’m not hearing anything imminent. I still expect Jonathan David to leave Lille in the summer transfer window.

“He has one year left on his contract and Lille want to make a profit. The player wants to try a different experience, so there is a good opportunity.

“I think a 90 per cent chance to see Jonathan David leaving Lille. But at the moment, I’m not aware of anything advanced club-to-club between Chelsea and Lille.”

Unfortunately for Man Utd, Chelsea are not the only Premier League competitors interested in David. As per fellow reporter Wayne Veysey, Tottenham have made contact with David’s agent to explore a summer deal.

Ange Postecoglou is known to be on the lookout for a new striker who can properly replace Harry Kane, in a move which would allow captain Son Heung-min to play as a left winger more regularly once again.

Lille originally paid Gent £25.5m for David and at one stage his value hit €60million (£51m). But Lille have failed to tie the player down to a new contract, and the fact his current deal expires in June 2025 means he can move for a reduced price this summer.

David’s lower valuation of €40m (£34m) will certainly please his potential suitors Man Utd, Spurs and Chelsea, with a transfer scrap now on the cards.

Incredibly, David could be followed to Man Utd by two other forwards, as per Monday’s Euro Paper Talk.

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to move for two right-backs as Emerson Royal pushes to leave the club this summer, according to reports.

Emerson arrived in North London in August 2021 when Tottenham paid Barcelona £25.8million to sign him on a five-year contract, which followed the player’s successful loan spell at Real Betis. Tottenham had high hopes for Emerson but he has never lived up to that price tag and has endured some poor form and bad mistakes while in England.

Ange Postecoglou is happy to see the full-back leave as he takes his Tottenham revamp to the next stage and Emerson is aiming to achieve a big move to AC Milan.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Emerson has said yes to joining the Italian giants as talks between Milan and Tottenham accelerate.

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The two clubs are close to agreeing an €18million (£15.2m) deal, which will see Tottenham take a £10.6m hit on the Brazilian.

Over the weekend, Emerson confirmed that he would like to leave Spurs and join Milan ahead of the 2024-25 club campaign getting underway.

“The truth is that I still don’t have anything defined. Obviously, to know that Milan is in conversation with the club [Spurs], they are looking for information on me, it is very gratifying because Milan is a team known for having Brazilian players,” he said.

“We know there have been some great Brazilians to have played for them. Let’s wait and see what’s going to happen.”

Tottenham transfers: Michael Kayode to replace Emerson Royal?

Spurs are pushing to bring in one new right-back to replace Emerson and help provide competition and cover for Pedro Porro.

According to the latest reports in Italy, Spurs have opened talks with Fiorentina for 19-year-old Michael Kayode, who mainly plays as a right-back but can also operate on the left side of defence if required.

Spurs have even begun the bidding for Kayode by sending Fiorentina a €40m (£34m) offer for the Italy U21 international.

Spurs are ‘serious’ about landing Kayode but are, admittedly, concerned about the potential cost, as Fiorentina will likely want more than that £34m sum before selling.

Spurs capturing Kayode could leave Arsenal frustrated, as it was claimed in March that the Gunners are ‘crazy’ about landing him.

An alternative to the teenager is Yan Couto, who is on Manchester City’s books. Reports in Spain state that Spurs have made an approach for Couto after being impressed by his fantastic loan spell at City’s affiliate club Girona.

It is unclear at this stage how much Spurs will have to pay City for Couto, who is a Brazilian compatriot of Emerson’s. Although, the fact Spurs are eyeing up the 22-year-old suggests he might be slightly cheaper to sign than Kayode.

A Tottenham first-team star has revealed that talks are due to take place soon over his future amid continued speculation over a switch to Italy.

Ange Postecoglou is keen to oversee an overhaul of his first-team squad this summer after previously admitting that some of the players at his disposal are not suited to the brand of football he wants to put on the pitch in the white half of north London.

One such player who looks certain to leave is Brazilian full-back Emerson Royal.

The 25-year-old did show his versatility last season by featuring in his normal right-back role as well as at left-back and centre-back when Micky ven de Ven was injured and Cristian Romero suspended.

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However, his lack of consistency and the impressive form of Pedro Porro on the right means Emerson is no longer and Tottenham are keen to cash in this summer.

In terms of where he could be playing next, Serie A giants Milan are the firm frontrunners for his signature at this stage.

And while there is plenty of speculation at what the future holds for the former Barcelona man, he insists that is not quite his focus for now.

Milan talks already taken place

Indeed, earlier this week, Emerson confirmed talks have begun with Milan regarding a switch to Italy, describing the idea of that interest as ‘gratifying’ given the San Siro outfit’s legacy of employing top Brazilian players.

However, speaking to UOL, Royal was asked about where he could be playing next season and responded: “I’ve asked my agents not to talk to me about these issues for now because I’m on holiday, I recently got married and I want to enjoy this moment.

“I’ll have to have a meeting with them in the next few days because it’s a very important decision that I have to make now.”

He also touched on his motivations, with an international recall high on the list of priorities, and added: “In life nothing is easy, I’ve always fought to be in the national team and I will be. My next steps next season will be based on that.

“Whether I stay at Tottenham or leave, it’s always about playing for my place in the national team. I’m going to fight for that.”

If Spurs do lose Emerson, as looks increasingly likely, they will be looking to bring in another right-back option to challenge Porro on that side.

And one player who appears to be on their radar is Manchester City star Yan Couto.

Tottenham return to pre-season training from July 6, although a number of top stars will be missing as they continue to take part in Euro 2024 and the Copa America.

Tottenham are in the market for a new right-back this summer and reports suggest that they’re interested in signing Manchester City star Yan Couto.

The 22-year-old Brazilian international has spent the last two seasons on loan with City’s sister club Girona, where he has been one of their standout performers.

Couto made 39 appearances for Girona in 2023/24, scored two goals and made 10 assists which was a key reason why they secured a historic third-place finish in LaLiga.

Despite joining Man City in 2020, Couto is yet to make a single appearance for the club and he isn’t thought to be part of Pep Guardiola’s plans.

His contract will expire in 12 months and they are keen to sell him permanently this summer rather than lose him on a free transfer.

A number of top sides are interested in Couto and according to The Sun, Tottenham have registered an interest in signing the young right-back.

The deal could work well for both sides as reports suggest that Man City are looking to sell players before they make any more major acquisitions this summer.

Tottenham eye move for Man City outcast

The Sun claim that Spurs are keen to sign Couto ‘as an understudy to Pedro Porro’ – with Emerson Royal being heavily linked with moves away from North London.

Couto could therefore be a replacement for Emerson who continues to be targeted by club’s from Italy and Saudi Arabia.

The Man City loanee is reportedly valued at around £40m, which is, admittedly, a lot for a player with just a year remaining on his deal, especially given the Cityzens only paid £5m for him.

Tottenham are sounding out the possibility of a transfer though and it remains to be seen how high they’re willing to go with an offer for him.

Couto still has a lot to learn but has certainly shown he has plenty of quality with his performances for Girona.

Tottenham’s rivals Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the Brazilian in the past but their interest seems to have cooled in recent weeks.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also reportedly identified Couto as a good option for the Red Devils but again, those links have gone quiet recently.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Spurs launch a concrete bid for Couto in the coming weeks.

Tottenham have reportedly moved into ‘pole position’ to sign Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida, who has been heavily linked with Liverpool.

The 23-year-old was a key player for Arne Slot during his time with Feyenoord and made 31 appearances for the Dutch club last season, scoring six goals and helping his side to 15 clean sheets in the process.

He is currently away on international duty with the Netherlands at Euro 2024 and featured in their 0-0 draw with France on Friday night.

Geertruida is valued at approximately £25m and Liverpool have long been considered favourites to sign him due to the Slot connection.

However, a report from the Daily Mirror claims that the Reds’ new manager has asked the club’s hierarchy NOT to sign him as he doesn’t believe his style would suit the Premier League.

Slot’s stance has allegedly been influenced by the criticism Erik ten Hag has faced at Manchester United for signing players from the Eredivisie who haven’t lived up to expectations.

Antony is the most glaring example. He joined the Red Devils for £82m in 2022 and has scored just 11 goals in 82 appearances since then.

That hasn’t put Tottenham off Geertruida, however, and they are now seriously considering an offer for the Feyenoord star.

Tottenham push ahead for Geertruida signing

The Mirror’s report claims that Tottenham ‘watched Geertruida regularly last season’ and are ‘hoping’ he agrees to join them this summer.

Paris Saint-Germain are described as Spurs’ main ‘rivals’ in the race for the Feyenoord star now that Liverpool have pulled out.

Geertruida generally plays as a centre-back but can also feature as a right-back or defensive midfielder, which could prove useful for Spurs with Emerson Royal being heavily linked with an exit.

RB Leipzig tried to sign Geertruida last season and saw a £25m bid rejected, but the youngster has only 12 months left on his contract meaning Feyenoord may now have to accept less than they want to for his sale.

Geertruida is a big fan of the Premier League and regularly ‘flies over to London to see some of his friends play in big games when he is not playing for his club.’

He is a fan favourite at Feyenoord after emerging from the tough backstreets of Rotterdam south to play for his hometown club but is now ready for a new challenge elsewhere.

Liverpool seem to have decided against a move for Geertruida so Tottenham are the big favourites to secure a deal at this stage.

Tottenham are one of three contenders to deprive their former manager Jose Mourinho of one of the stars of the Fenerbahce squad he is inheriting this summer, according to Turkish reports – and they are believed to have the best chance of them all.

After finding some stability under Ange Postecoglou but eventually failing to threaten the top four last season, an important summer lies ahead for Tottenham. There are various areas of their squad they could be keen to add quality to if they want to restore Champions League status by 2025.

Back in February, TEAMtalk confirmed that Tottenham were interested in Sebastian Szymanski, the Polish playmaker who starred in his debut season with Fenerbahce.

Other outlets have since backed up Tottenham’s interest and the latest claims from Aslinda indicate that they are the ‘most serious suitor’ for 25-year-old.

In fact, Tottenham’s name ‘stands out’ alongside fellow suitors Lazio and Marseille. The feeling is that Spurs will be more likely to stump up an acceptable amount of money due to their status as a Premier League club.

The report claims Spurs will submit a bid in the region of €20m for Szymanski ‘in the coming days’. If they can sign him, Postecoglou would plan to use him in the no.10 role.

It must be stressed that Tottenham already have James Maddison, a summer 2023 signing, in the attacking-midfield role, which means it isn’t the biggest priority on their to-do list. However, it’s implied they can see a space for Szymanski – who occasionally played as a central midfielder, and on even rarer occasions, a right-winger last season – too.

Szymanski on the rise

During his Fenerbahce career so far, Szymanski has scored 13 goals and added 19 assists from 55 appearances. Prior to that, he had spells with Legia Warsaw, Dynamo Moscow and Feyenoord, so if Tottenham can sign him, it would be his first stop in the Premier League.

He has played in all three UEFA competitions before, so could be an asset to a Tottenham side preparing to compete in next season’s Europa League.

And unlike many other potential targets who currently have international commitments, Szymanski’s national team Poland only have one game left to play at Euro 2024, from which they have already been eliminated. Thus, the attention can soon turn to his future in the transfer market.

Fenerbahce still have the playmaker under contract until 2027, but if they can get €20m for him, it would be one of their biggest ever sales – just €1m shy of the club record.

Indeed, the Istanbul outfit would be just about doubling their money on Szymanski in the space of 12 months.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is reportedly aware he’ll struggle to recruit striker talent with Richarlison still at the club, amid doubts over his summer sale.

It has been suggested since Richarlison’s second season at Spurs ended that he’s going to be cut loose. The Brazilian, who was directly involved in 66 goals during his four seasons at Everton, failed to score more than three in his first campaign in north London.

He had a better campaign last time out, netting 12 goals in all competitions.

But for a side who wants to challenge for titles, a central striker delivering totals that low is not going to cut it.

In any case, Richarlison himself has stated he’s not going to leave the club, suggesting he has never been dissatisfied by being there.

Whether or not Tottenham share that sentiment is unclear.

But according to GIVEMESPORT, there is concern about recruiting players while he is there.

That would certainly suggest they’d rather he was not at the club beyond this summer.

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Tottenham concerned about ability to sign strikers

Indeed, the report states the pursuit of a new striker is going slowly due to doubts over whether Richarlison will be sold.

It’s said Ange Postecoglou is aware it will be difficult to sign a quality striker with the Brazilian still there.

It would surely be hard to convince somebody to join knowing a player who just played 28 league games is still going to be fighting for that spot, and the money it would cost to bag a new striker could be too much without selling Richarlison.

As such, the report states Postecoglou may be forced to significantly alter his summer plans if the Brazilian is not moved on.

Tottenham plans unclear

Plans are reportedly in place at Tottenham to go after Santiago Gimenez, Ivan Toney and Serhou Guirassy.

However, it’s unclear if they’ll be pursued until Richarlison’s future is decided.

And if it isn’t, a U-turn on signing a striker could be made.

Richarlison has suitors in Saudi Arabia, and Spurs may be hopeful an offer is made the striker is willing to leave, so that they can improve up top.

Tottenham are reportedly facing extra competition to sign Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori – with two other Premier League sides joining the race to recruit the Italian.

Calafiori began his career at Roma, signing his first contract with them in mid-2018, aged 16. The centre-back’s career, however, was nearly ended before it had properly begun due to a serious knee injury a few months later.

Nearly two years later, the Rome-born player made his club debut in August 2020 and earned a handful of appearances under then-manager Paulo Fonseca and then Jose Mourinho.

While he later admitted Mourinho helped him develop as a player, the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager was less than complimentary about him back in October 2021.

Following Roma’s loss to Juventus, a moaning Mourinho told reporters: “In Serie A, there are (substitute) benches and then there are (Juventus) benches.

“Today we played with this back four, where [Rick] Karsdorp was a doubt right up to the whistle. And the defenders I had on the bench were [Bryan] Reynolds, [Marash] Kumbulla and [Riccardo] Calafiori.”

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While Mourinho may have been right about Reynolds and Kumbulla, now 22-year-old Calafiori is, seemingly, proving ‘The Special One’ wrong.

After the left-footed defender left Roma for FC Basel in August 2022, he went from strength to strength in the Swiss Super League.

But it was only until he joined Bologna a year later – for a reported fee of £3.4m – and worked under the tutelage of Thiago Motta did he really start to get noticed.

Motta switched Calafiori to a centre-back role, after previously playing as a left-back or even a left-sided wing-back, and now he is seen as one of the most highly-rated defenders in Serie A.

His form this season earned him his first caps for Italy and now he is starting in Luciano Spalletti’s defence for the Euros – as they try to defend their 2021 crown in Germany.

While he did concede an unfortunate own goal in their 1-0 loss to Spain on Thursday night in a crunch clash in Group B, Calafiori’s star continues to rise.

Premier League sides vie for Calafiori

Previously, TEAMtalk reported Tottenham were keeping tabs on the 6ft 2in player, and new Liverpool boss Arne Slot is a reported admirer of the Italy international.

Now, Tutto Juve claims Newcastle United and Chelsea are now competing with one another to secure his signature this summer.

Moreover, TuttoMercatoWeb claim Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham have ‘made contact’ with Bologna this week and Real Madrid scouts have watched him at the Euros.

Reports in Italy suggest he could be made available for approximately £34m but the Serie A side are understood to be keen to retain his services.

Incidentally, Calafiori, whose contract with Bologna runs until 2027, has previously expressed his desire to move to the Premier League one day.

Calafiori ‘likes’ two English teams

While he is also open to returning to Roma, who are now managed by club legend Daniele De Rossi – two English clubs caught his fancy.

He told Italian publication Voce Giallorossa in December 2022: “I have two images: Going back to Italy, perhaps in Rome, or my dream would be to play in the Premier League. I really like West Ham or Chelsea.”

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Calafiori, who admitted in 2022 that Mourinho “forged his character and personality” despite offloading him to Basel, is likely to start in Italy’s final group stage game against Croatia on Monday night.

They currently sit second in their group, two points ahead of joint-bottom Albania and Croatia after two fixtures. As the tournament progresses, more eyes will surely follow the sought-after defender’s progress.

It may take a big offer to lure him away from Bologna, who are preparing to play in the Champions League next season.

Tottenham are finally being tipped to sign Harry Kane’s replacement in a deal that could cost them just £25million and provide an upgrade on Richarlison in the process.

Spurs failed to replace Kane last summer when the club’s all-time leading goalscorer left for Bayern Munich, opting to start the campaign with Richarlison through the middle before Ange Postecoglou turned to skipper Son Heung-min to fill that role.

And while the pair ended up scoring 29 goals between them, so many chances were missed to leave Postecoglou to push to get a top-class No.9 on board.

There have been reports that personal terms have already been agreed with Ivan Toney, although Brentford are likely to play hardball over selling to a Premier League rival.

But with Tottenham also hoping to strike a £60m deal with Crystal Palace too for Eberechi Eze, moving for a cheaper striker option makes sense – if indeed that can be done.

Well, according to the latest reports, the north London club have stepped up their interest in signing Lille hotshot Jonathan David.

The Canada international has been a long-time target for Spurs, having also been spoken of as a Kane replacement back when the England skipper was flirting with a move to Manchester City.

However, it will not be an easy process to snap up the much sought-after frontman, with Manchester United already said to have made contact with representatives of the player as they look for competition for Rasmus Hojlund in attack.

West ham and Aston Villa are known to have an interest in the 24-year-old, who could be available for as little as £25m given that his contract runs out in the summer of 2025.

David a clear Richarlison upgrade – on paper

In terms of stats, David certainly blows Richarlison out of the water, having scored 26 times and added nine assists in 47 games in all competitions last season – albeit in a weaker league.

That adds up to a goal involvement every 1.3 games for David in comparison to Richarlison, whose 12 goals and four assists equates to a goal involvement every 1.9 games.

Postecoglou wants a more clinical finisher on board to take advantage of the countless chances his side creates, have watched them fail to win games last season due to that very fact.

And at just £25m, David could be an absolute bargain – even if it’s a big risk on a frontman who has never played at Premier League level before.

A Tottenham first-team regular is being surprisingly tipped up for a move to Turkey during the summer transfer window, despite having a great ally in Ange Postecoglou.

It could be all change in Totteenham’s engine room this summer given that Postecoglou admitted towards the end of last season that he did not have the players on board to execute his style of football.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will definitely be on his way, while Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso could also be shown the door – for the right price.

Postecoglou is also known to have been unhappy with Yves Bissouma’s form after he returned from the African Cup of Nations, although it’s thought that the Mali star’s position in the squad is safe.

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One player who had an up and down time in the side was Rodrigo Bentancur, who was one of the standout performers under Antonio Conte before suffering an ACL injury.

The Uruguay international, who is currently on international duty at the Cop America in the United States, appeared to spend most of his time last season trying to get his full fitness back – and it showed in his performance levels.

Bentancur struggled to hold down a regular starter spot, although much of that was down to Postecoglou struggling to find that right balance in his engine room.

The 26-year-old did show flashes of his quality but quite often looked off the pace, and his reaction to being subbed late in the season when trailing Manchester City only sparked talk of division between him and the manager.

Bentancur angrily kicked the seats in the dugout after being hauled off for Dejan Kulusevski in a pure sign of anger and likely frustration that he could no longer impact the game when his side were losing.

The Uruguay has also been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons again regarding comments he made about Spurs skipper Son-Heung min.

Turkish giants eyeing Bentancur move

And now it’s claimed that Turkish giants Galatasaray are keen on a swoop for the player this summer.

Reports from Turkey state that Gala have identified Bentancur as he a player who could significantly improve their starting XI.

Indeed, boss Okan Buruk is keen on bringing the Tottenham star in, although the Istanbul club are well aware it will be difficult to prise him away from north London.

It’s explained that Galatasaray met with the Uruguay international’s agent, to discuss the ‘financial conditions’ of a move.

The report adds that Galatasaray’s Uruguayan duo of Fernando Muslera and Lucas Torreira will support the club in their pursuit of the Tottenham man.

However, there is no actual indication that Bentancur is actively looking for a way out of the club, despite his frustrations last season.

Indeed, Postecoglou is known to be a big admirer of Bentancur’s box-to-box capabilities and the flair he possesses in the middle of the park.

The Australian hopes that getting some pre-season action into his legs after the Copa America will see the midfielder return to the sort of form that regarded as one of the top midfielders in the Premier League before his horrific injury blow.