TEAMtalk

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to have dropped their asking price for midfielder Giovani Lo Celso as they aim to sell him before the end of the month.

Lo Celso was left out of Tottenham’s squad for their pre-season fixture against Bayern Munich on Saturday, in an obvious sign that his future lies away from north London. With only a year remaining on his contract, Spurs are trying to sell Lo Celso while they still can.

Interest from Aston Villa – whose manager Unai Emery coached him during a loan spell at Villarreal – and his former club Real Betis has been confirmed over the weekend.

And now, more clues have emerged about the extent Tottenham will go to in order to offload the Argentina international in the next couple of weeks, before the transfer window closes on August 30.

TEAMtalk sources stated in June that Tottenham were willing to accept bids of £12m from any suitor for Lo Celso.

However, with no one matching their demands yet, it seems Spurs have been forced to reduce their asking price.

According to a new update from Football Insider, Tottenham are now just asking for £10m for Lo Celso. Furthermore, anyone trying to take him on loan will likely be turned away.

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Having decided he is now out of their plans under Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham are in a race against time to sell Lo Celso. If they fail to sell him this month, they risk losing him for free at the end of the season, since he could sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign club from January onwards.

The midfielder previously cost them around £42m after joining from Real Betis five years ago. Spurs will be making a major loss on Lo Celso, to a magnitude possibly even greater than they planned for.

Tottenham trying to land Lo Celso upgrade

But if they can cut Lo Celso from their squad in time, they might have room for someone more suitable to Postecoglou’s tactics.

The dream target is Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa, which could lead to a part-exchange deal given the interest at the other end in Lo Celso. As the younger player with more to offer in the long term, Ramsey would be the more valuable component of that operation, although it is not necessarily an easy one for them to agree.

After all, Lo Celso may want to return to La Liga, a competition he has made 70 appearances in across two-and-a-half years. In contrast, he has played 77 times in the Premier League for Tottenham, during three-and-a-half possible years of action.

His output has also historically been far better in Spanish than English football, with 12 La Liga goals to his name but only three Premier League strikes.

Tottenham could be about to offload another fringe member of Ange Postecoglou’s squad after the player was left out of the squad for the pre-season friendly defeat to Bayern Munich on Saturday.

Two goals from Dejan Kulusevski were not enough for Spurs as the German giants lifted the Visit Malta Cup in north London courtesy of some familiar errors at the back from Ange Postecoglou’s men.

Two set-piece goals and another defensive mistake in possession gifted Bayern a 3-2 triumph as second-half substitute Harry Kane was given a standing ovation on his return to the club.

Summer signings Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall both featured in the second half for Tottenham, while new record addition Dominic Solanke was also in attendance.

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Postecoglou has already hinted that he expects more players through the door, although it’s expected that exits will be the focus of attention over the next few days.

Emerson Royal is close to his move to AC Milan but talk of Giovani Lo Celso‘s future at the club has ramped up after the Argentine was left out of the squad for the Bayern clash.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Aston Villa remain interested in signing the midfielder, while his former club Real Betis are also in the mix.

It’s reported that Tottenham are actively working on the 28-year-old’s exit given that he only has a year remaining on his current contract.

Lo Celso joined Spurs permanently from Betis back in 2020 and a move back to Spain could benefit his career, while the midfielder played some of his best football at Villarreal under Unai Emery, who is now in charge at Villa.

Tottenham still keen on Lo Celso, Ramsey swap

Emery is known to be keen on reuniting with Lo Celso, with Tottenham trying to lure Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey to north London as part of the transfer.

Spurs would be expected to pay Villa £20m plus Lo Celso if they can strike a deal, with Ramsey currently valued at around the £45m mark.

The 23-year-old Villa star is the type of box-to-box midfielder Postecoglou wants to get on board this summer to provide more competition for Rodrigo Bentancur.

As for Lo Celso, the Argentina international has never really been able to cement a place in the Tottenham starting XI under successive managers and has been loaned out twice.

Postecoglou did give the midfielder plenty of opportunities to show his worth last season, with Lo Celso featuring 24 times in all competitions, but he failed to take them.

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At this stage, it now appears that a move is best for all parties as the Spurs boss looks to build a younger, more vibrant squad capable of playing the brand of football Postecoglou wants in north London.

Lo Celso has made a total of 108 appearances for Tottenham, scoring 11 goals in that time.

Ange Postecoglou has hinted that there will be more Tottenham signings to come before the transfer window shuts as a former star is once again being tipped for a return to north London.

Spurs completed a club-record deal for Bournemouth frontman Dominic Solanke on Saturday, with the England star arriving in a £65million deal to bolster Postecoglou’s frontline.

According to respected journalist David Ornstein, the 26-year-old, the Tottenham boss wanted Solanke more than any other striker in the club’s price range after he scored 21 goals in all competitions for the Cherries last season.

Spurs moved quickly to negotiate a big-money deal this week, after receiving encouragement that Solanke was very keen on a move to the club this summer.

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And, speaking after Saturday’s 3-2 friendly defeat to Bayern Munich, Postecoglou is confident the club’s new No.9 will be ready to face Leicester a week on Monday.

Asked whether Solanke will face the Foxes, having picked up a toe injury before his move, he said: “I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be in a position to [play against Leicester]. He’s done most of pre-season.

“Slight knock in the last game Bournemouth played, but, of course, we’ll have a look at him during, during the week. But I think that considering he’s done most of the pre-season, I see no reason why he wouldn’t be available.”

Postecoglou also spoke about Solanke’s path to becoming Tottenham’s new record buy, adding: “He’s had to work his way up and I always think that’s a good thing.

“If it’s all positive in their career, you wonder how they’ll deal with setbacks and he’s had his quite early in his career and pushed on.”

Postecoglou expects prime Solanke

The Spurs chief was also asked how long Solanke has actually been on his radar, adding: “Yeah, a fair while, but again, you kind of look at players who’ve had, like I said, interesting journeys and with some players, things happen really early in their careers and they go really well, but then there’s inevitable stumbles along the way and you want to see how they react.

“But Dom had a very bright start to his career and he was at big clubs, which every player aspires to, but for one reason or another, it didn’t work out for him, but the fact that he’s got himself back to this position where he’s again one of the premier strikers in the Premier League, it’s a testament to his character and he’s only 26, about to turn 27. So I think probably because of those early challenges he had, I think he’s going try to push and have a really strong and impactful, meaningful years from now on.”

With Solanke now on board, the focus is now on who could follow him through the door in north London and Postecoglou is expecting more business between now and the end of the window.

The Australian said: “Look, we’ll see, there’s still time in the window and I think there’ll still be some activity.

“We are trying to identify players who fit into our style of football. There will be a bit of adjustment but hopefully they will already have those qualities to come into the group and contribute straight away. That is my expectation when we sign someone – they will be ready to contribute from the moment they arrive.”

Tottenham old boy still tipped for return

One player who continues to be linked with a return to the club is Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters and those rumours have once again ramped up as the clock ticks down to August 30.

Reports over the weekend suggest that Tottenham are ready to activate their £30m buy-back clause for the 27-year-old, who excelled in Southampton’s run to promotion from the Championship last season.

He scored three goals and added three assists in 47 games in all competitions and, given his ability, to play at right-back and left-back, would give Postecoglou quality cover in both positions.

Links to Walker-Peters again are no great surprise given that Emerson Royal is closing in on his switch to AC Milan.

The Brazilian, after months of talk, will at long last seal a move to the San Siro, with Fabrizio Romao revealing that the defender has rejected four to five different offers to join Milan before finally giving the nod.

Spurs have reached an agreement to sell the player for a package worth in excess of £13m.

“Emerson Royal to AC Milan, here we go! Deal in place for total package in excess of €15m from Spurs,” said Romano on X.

“Agreement with Emerson reached in May as he only wanted Milan despite 4/5 proposals. Travel being planned as Emerson leaves #THFC and joins Milan project.”

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However, if a deal for Walker-Peters does not go through then Tottenham can fall back on summer signing Archie Gray as cover for Pedro Porro at right-back for the upcoming campaign.

The former Leeds man performed well in that position as a half-time substitute in the clash with Bayern, his first taste action at the home of his new club.

Tottenham are reportedly among the clubs keeping tabs on Galatasaray winger Wilfried Zaha who has been tipped to return to the Premier League.

Ange Postecoglou will be pleased with the transfer window that Spurs have had so far with the signings of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Min-hyeok Yang. The club have also managed to sign Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke for a club-record fee of £65m.

In a bid to add some more creativity to their ranks, Tottenham are still looking to bolster their creative options in the coming weeks.

Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze remains a target for the club, although they face competition from Manchester City who are also interested in the England international.

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An alternative target that Tottenham are considering is Zaha who reportedly has plenty of suitors in the Premier League.

Zaha left Crystal Palace to join Galatasaray last summer but the 31-year-old is already being linked with a return to the Premier League.

According to HITC, Tottenham are among the clubs who have been made aware of the winger’s availability this summer.

While Zaha enjoyed a decent debut season in Turkey which saw him score nine league goals and provide three assists, he is reportedly keen to return to England this summer.

Plenty of clubs are interested

While Tottenham have been credited with interest in Zaha, they certainly aren’t alone as several other Premier League sides have also been linked.

As per the same report, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle have also been made aware of Zaha’s availability this summer.

During his Premier League career, Zaha racked up a total of 305 appearances for Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Cardiff City. He scored 68 Premier League goals and has produced 29 assists, averaging 0.32 goal contributions per game.

His contract with Galatasaray is still valid until the summer of 2026 which does give the Turkish club a decent amount of bargaining power in this deal. It’s also thought that he is currently earning £170,000 per week in Turkey.

Interestingly, Tottenham have tried to sign Zaha before. Prior to his move to Galatasaray, Spurs expressed an interest in the Crystal Palace star but he snubbed the chance to join them as he was keen to play Champions League football.

Tottenham were also prominently linked with Zaha during Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure at the club, although a move never ended up materialising.

Given his age and high wages, there is a good chance that Tottenham will explore alternative options to Zaha this summer. A loan move could be suitable, although Postecoglou would likely prefer a younger alternative.

Tottenham have completed the record signing of Dominic Solanke and official confirmation from the clubs is all that remains, while moves involving AC Milan and Barcelona could quickly follow.

Spurs made it their mission to sign a high quality striker this summer and Bournemouth hitman Solanke is the player they turned to.

Solanke scored 19 goals in the Premier League last season, with only Erling Haaland (27), Cole Palmer (22) and Alexander Isak (21) registering more.

Tottenham ramped up their pursuit of the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker at the beginning of August.

Solanke quickly gave the green light to Spurs and aims to prove he can make the grade at one of the league’s heavyweights. That comes after his prior spells at Anfield and Stamford Bridge came and went without ever being offered an extended run in the team.

Solanke agreed a six-year contract running until 2030 with Spurs. The frontman passed a medical late on Friday night and subsequently put pen to paper on his Tottenham contract shortly after.

The move has now been completed, with official confirmation from Tottenham and Bournemouth all that remains.

Tottenham have committed to a package worth £65m which makes Solanke both their record buy and Bournemouth’s record sale. The breakdown of the deal is understood to be £57m plus £8m in add-ons.

Tottenham’s previous highest purchase was the £60m (£50m plus £10m in add-ons) it cost to sign Richarlison from Everton.

The £41m sale of Nathan Ake to Manchester City has also been surpassed as Bournemouth’s most lucrative departure.

AC Milan, Barcelona deals next?

Elsewhere, Tottenham are primed to sell Emerson Royal to AC Milan and Barcelona have made contact over a different Spurs defender.

Emerson, 25, has agreed a five-year deal with Milan who in turn, have agreed to pay Tottenham €15m plus €2m in add-ons for the Brazilian.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano gave the move his signature ‘here we go’ confirmation on Friday. Emerson will travel to Milan on Sunday to undergo a medical and finalise the move.

Barcelona could also sign a Tottenham full-back, though their move is in its very early stages.

Sky Sports revealed Barcelona have made an approach for left-back Sergio Reguilon who Spurs are more than willing to sell.

The 27-year-old has entered the final year of his contract and is surplus to requirements in north London.

Barcelona had initially hoped to re-sign last season’s loanee, Joao Cancelo, from Manchester City.

However, with City holding out for a permanent move and Barcelona unable to finance the deal, Cancelo’s return to Catalonia has stalled.

That’s where Reguilon comes in, with Barcelona now on the hunt for a full-back after completing their €62m signing of Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig on Friday.

Given Reguilon is in the final year of his contract at Tottenham, any Barcelona bid is likely to be a small one.

Tottenham have agreed a transfer with AC Milan on the back of Bournemouth agreeing to sell Dominic Solanke to Spurs in a record-setting move.

Ange Postecoglou made no secret of his desire to sign a high profile new striker and Solanke is the player he and Spurs turned to.

Bournemouth have agreed to sell the striker who scored 19 Premier League goals last season. Solanke is protected by a £65m release clause, though it’s understood the clause is not straightforward.

Whether Tottenham will trigger the clause or agree a deal with Bournemouth that ignores the clause remains to be seen.

Nonetheless, what is clear is Bournemouth are ready to cash in, Solanke has agreed personal terms and the deal will become Bournemouth’s most expensive ever sale if finalised.

If the deal surpasses the £60m mark it would also become Tottenham’s most expensive ever buy. The current record-holder is Richarlison (£50m plus £10m in add-ons) who may well be sold on the back of Solanke arriving.

But while the Solanke move is hoovering up the headlines, Fabrizio Romano has brought news of an important sale nearing completion.

Emerson Royal to join AC Milan after price tag compromise

Tottenham explored the sale of right-back Emerson Royal after the Brazilian fell firmly behind Pedro Porro in the pecking order.

Emerson agreed personal terms with Milan well over a month ago, though a club-to-club agreement on the transfer fee and payment structure proved harder to come by.

Tottenham initially hoped to collect €25m, while Milan aimed to pay no more than €10m.

However, a serious knee injury suffered by Alessandro Florenzi prompted Milan to raise their bid to a reported €15m plus €2m in add-ons.

That still fellow below Tottenham’s initial expectations, though Milan made it clear their bid would not be improved.

According to a fresh update from Romano, Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy have accepted Milan’s bid and the transfer has been given Romano’s signature ‘here we go’ confirmation.

Taking to X, the reporter stated: “Emerson Royal to AC Milan, here we go!

“Deal in place for total package in excess of €15m from Spurs. Agreement with Emerson reached in May as he only wanted Milan despite 4/5 proposals.

“Travel being planned as Emerson leaves Tottenham and joins Milan project.”

Tottenham could sign replacement from Man City

Porro is in situ, while new signing Archie Gray can cover at right-back if required. Failure to find a buyer for Djed Spence may also mean the rarely-seen Spurs right-back is an option for Postecoglou too.

Nonetheless, Romano recently confirmed Tottenham will look to replace Emerson and their search could take them to Manchester City.

“Tottenham would look to fill the gap, for sure, because they have Pedro Porro, but they would need one more player,” Romano told GiveMeSport.

“It’s true that [Issa] Kabore at Manchester City, former Luton Town player, is appreciated by Tottenham.

“But I’m told he is not the only option. So there are several possibilities being considered.”

Kabore, 23, has been on Man City’s books since 2020, though is yet to play a single match for the club.

Instead, his time with City has been spent out on loan and his latest spell away was an impressive one with Luton Town in the Premier League last season.

Tottenham are roaring towards a major signing with the North London side in ‘advanced talks’ with Bournemouth for England striker Dominic Solanke.

Reports suggest that the former Liverpool man has already agreed personal terms with Spurs and a transfer fee is the last hurdle before a deal is struck.

As we exclusively revealed, Tottenham spent weeks weighing up whether to pursue a deal for Brentford’s Ivan Toney or Solanke but have now decided on the Cherries star.

Solanke, 26, is under contract at the Vitality Stadium until 2029 and has a hefty release clause of £65m in his deal.

Ange Postecoglou has made signing a new centre-forward a priority for what remains of the transfer window. Spurs never replaced Harry Kane after he joined Bayern Munich two years ago and now Solanke looks set to take on that responsibility.

The Mail claim that Tottenham have ‘stepped up’ their pursuit of Solanke this week and negotiations for the transfer are at an ‘advanced’ stage.

Bournemouth are ‘set to sell’ their talisman ‘reluctantly’ and the forward, who narrowly missed out on a place England’s Euro 2024 squad, is ready to take the next step in his career.

Tottenham ‘set to sign’ Dominic Solanke

Sources have informed TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Fraser (Fletcher) Gillan that Tottenham will trigger Solanke’s £65m release clause but how that payment is structured is unclear at this stage.

This will make the Bournemouth star their new all-time record signing. Liverpool could also receive up to £9m for the transfer due to a sell-on clause in Solanke’s contract.

TEAMtalk understands that Tottenham remain keen to sell Richarlison this summer to help fund the move for Solanke, although it’s not vital to the deal.

Richarlison joined Tottenham for £60m two years ago but has failed to live up to his price tag.

The former Everton man has been deemed surplus to requirements by Postecoglou and clubs from Saudi Arabia remain interested in him.

Solanke could prove to be a game-changing addition for Spurs as they aim to break back into the top four this season.

He scored an impressive 19 goals in the Premier League last season and could form a formidable front three with Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski or Brennan Johnson.

The report claims that Tottenham are ‘set to wrap up the deal’ for Solanke in the very near future and it will be interesting to see if he features in their opener against Leicester City.

He will be Postecoglou’s fourth summer signing after Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Min-hyeok Yang.

Spurs will hope to get off to a good start this term, as they did last season, and will face Everton, Newcastle, Arsenal and Brentford after the Foxes.

Tottenham striker Richarlison has revealed that he will not be making a move to Saudi Arabia for big money this summer, stating his “dreams are bigger”.

Spurs have not seen the best of Richarlison yet. In his first season from moving Everton, he massively underwhelmed, netting just once in the Premier League, having played 27 times.

Last season, his top-flight production increased to 11 goals, but given Tottenham were used to Harry Kane banging in around 30 goals a term, that doesn’t seem enough.

Ange Postecoglou has spent much of the summer transfer window looking to recruit a better option for the No.9 slot.

Ivan Toney and Dominic Solanke are currently the top names on the radar, with Spurs in direct talks with the latter, confirmed by TEAMtalk sources.

But the north London outfit know the best chance of financing a deal for the £65million man – owing to a release clause – is getting Richarlison off the books.

The Brazilian cost £60million two years ago, and would likely command a similar price, especially given the sides after him.

Indeed, interest has been reported from the Saudi Pro League throughout the summer transfer window, and they tend to pay big money to import talent from Europe.

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Richarlison dreaming of more than than money

A move there would not only make Tottenham some decent money, but given the wages paid to players in the Middle East, Richarlison would also surely be given a lucrative contract.

But he has revealed that he does not want to move just for money.

“The money is big, but my dreams are bigger,” he says.

Given he has already stated he is happy at Tottenham this summer, the chances of him leaving seem slim.

And without the Brazilian leaving, the chances of Solanke joining seem difficult.

Throughout the window, the suggestion has been that Richarlison leaving will pave the way for a new striker signing.

And given Tottenham need to make up £65million – or £60million, which they believe will be enough – having already spent north of £40million, the lack of a sale could be a barrier to the Solanke deal.

Whether or not that is the case remains to be seen, but Tottenham will surely look to ship some players out if Richarlison cannot be moved.

Tottenham will reportedly listen to ‘future offers’ for winger Manor Solomon, who only signed last season and will bring a big profit.

Postecoglou spent last summer – his first window as Spurs boss – attempting to build a squad capable of bouncing back from a terrible season prior. Indeed, the north London outfit finished eighth in the Premier League, having endured a terrible time.

The new boss signed nine players in his first window, and turned the club’s fortunes around, with Tottenham finishing last season in fifth place.

The likes of James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven were particularly astute additions to the side.

Postecoglou would have been eager to see how winger Solomon got on in a Spurs shirt, too, having signed him after he impressed during 19 Premier League games for Fulham the season prior, scoring four goals.

But the Israel international, after starting strong for Tottenham with two assists in his first start, was quickly sidelined for the season, with a meniscus injury putting him out in his sixth appearance.

As such, it would seem he’ll have the chance to essentially start fresh and show what he can do this season now back in action.

But a report states the opposite may be the case.

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Tottenham to listen to Solomon offers

Indeed, it’s been stated that Tottenham will ‘listen to future offers’ for Solomon.

It’s said they have set a price tag of around £17million for him.

Given they got him on a free transfer, having previously been owned by Shakhtar Donestk, Spurs would receive a big profit by selling Solomon for that price.

But it would seem a shock if Postecoglou was willing to immediately let him go.

The manager signed him last season, and was only able to see him perform over the course of just under 300 minutes.

That he assisted twice in those games suggests with more time on the pitch, now back fit, Solomon could be a very good asset for Tottenham.

Tottenham may have to sell

Though they have yet again signed Timo Werner on loan, after he came through the door on a short-term deal last season, so the left-wing spot is more crowded than before his addition.

And Tottenham are looking to sign a new striker, but know it’ll be tough to finance a deal for one – likely Dominic Solanke – if they can’t get Richarlison off the books.

But the Brazilian does not want to go, so Spurs may have to assess other options, and while it seems harsh, letting Solomon go could be one that makes sense for them.

Ange Postecoglou views Cristian Romero as one of the most important players in his Tottenham squad but reports suggest that Real Madrid are weighing up a move for him.

The centre-back is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in the Premier League on his day and it’s no surprise to see Carlo Ancelotti keen to take him to the Bernabeu.

Romero, 26, made 33 Premier League appearances for Spurs last season, scoring five goals and helping his team to keep seven clean sheets in the process.

He will be one of the first names on Tottenham’s team sheet again this term but according to reports from Spain, Real Madrid could try and ‘snatch’ him this summer.

It’s claimed that Los Blancos are preparing to submit an opening bid of €50m (£43.06m) for the Argentine international.

Romero is under contract with Tottenham until 2027 and is happy in North London, but may find it difficult to turn down Real Madrid if they agree a fee for him.

Tottenham demand £150m for Real Madrid target

Romero was a target for Real Madrid before their chase for Leny Yoro, who ultimately joined Manchester United. It appears that interest remains intact as the clock ticks down on the window closing on August 30.

As previously reported, however, Tottenham have zero intention of selling him unless Madrid are willing to spend a sensational fee on the defender.

Reliable reports suggest that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has informed the Spanish giants that it will take £150m (€175m) to sign Romero this summer.

This comes after the centre-back’s stock was enhanced following a solid Copa America campaign with Argentina.

They conceded just one goal in five matches with Romero on the pitch, highlighting his influence on the global stage.

Furthermore, Romero has indicated that he wants to spend at least one more season with Tottenham before considering a move elsewhere.

“I always strive to play at my best. I have a lot of respect for Tottenham. They’ve always given me a lot of support here, so I like playing here. I don’t think about other clubs or their possibilities,” Romero said in a recent interview.

“I know there’s a lot of talk about a possible move, but I’m calm. At my club I play differently to the national team, more forward. I still have years left in Europe and I want to see where I can go. Hopefully this year we can win a title at Tottenham.”