Football365

According to reports, Brighton are now ‘ready’ to make a ‘third offer’ to sign Tottenham Hotspur starlet Luka Vuskovic this summer.

Brighton are looking to pull off a major coup with the signing of Vuskovic, who emerged as one of Europe’s standout young centre-backs during the 2025/26 campaign.

The 19-year-old, who is part of Croatia’s World Cup squad, joined Tottenham for around £12m in 2023 from Hadjuk Split.

Vuskovic is yet to make his senior debut for the north London outfit, but he shone for Bundesliga side Hamburg in his loan spell this season. He scored six goals in his 28 appearances for the German outfit.

And his form for Hamburg has caught the attention of clubs around Europe, so Tottenham face losing him this summer.

READ:Tottenham ‘ahead of’ Liverpool for £39m ‘bargain’ signing amid Van Hecke ‘collapse’ claim

Initially, it was widely reported that Spurs would push to keep Vuskovic beyond this summer, but a report earlier this month claimed they have made a ‘U-turn’ and would be open to selling him to Brighton or another club if their asking price is met.

On Saturday evening, German reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed that Brighton have failed with an offer worth 35 million euros for Vuskovic, though he has a ‘verbal agreement’ with the Premier League side.

Plettenberg said on X: ‘BREAKING | Understand Tottenham have immediately rejected Brighton’s €35m offer for Luka Vuskovic.

‘A new offer from Brighton is very likely to follow.

‘As revealed, a verbal agreement between Brighton and Vuskovic is already in place. Brighton are currently the most concrete club in the race.’

Tottenham set ‘valuation’ as Brighton ‘ready third offer’

And on Sunday, a report from our colleagues at TEAMtalk revealed that Tottenham’s ‘valuation’ for Vuskovic has been set at £60m, presumably to try to price Brighton and others out of a deal.

The report claims:

‘Brighton’s opening proposal, understood to be worth around £30million, was initially met with resistance from Tottenham. Indeed, Spurs’ early position was that Vuskovic’s value was closer to double that figure, at almost £60m, given the enormous potential they believe he possesses.

‘Yet sources indicate the player’s camp have privately communicated that such a valuation is viewed as somewhat excessive at this stage of his career.’

Now, Football Insider are reporting that Brighton are ‘ready’ to submit a ‘third offer’ for Vuskovic, though they do not state how much this bid will be worth.

The report adds: ‘The Seagulls are understood to be readying an “improved” offer for their “top target”, having seen their second bid of £30million knocked back by the Lilywhites. Their pursuit of the 19-year-old is closely linked to Spurs’ attempts to buy Jan Paul van Hecke, with one deal potentially set to trigger the other as talks progress.

‘Tottenham are extremely reluctant to sell Vuskovic, but there is a growing belief that the player himself is keen to make the switch to the Amex Stadium.’

Tottenham are keen on bringing Liam Delap to north London from Chelsea in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Spurs narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season as a 1-0 win over Everton was enough to keep them up.

They have already made an excellent start by sealing the free transfers of Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi from Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively.

Tottenham have also made two bids for Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, while Manchester City winger Savinho is reportedly high on their list of priorities.

A striker is another position they are looking to fill and transfer journalist Jacobs has revealed Tottenham are interested in Chelsea centre-forward Delap, who had a disappointing first season in west London.

READ:Tottenham ‘ahead of’ Liverpool for £39m ‘bargain’ signing amid Van Hecke ‘collapse’ claim

Jacobs said on the Last Word on Spurs YouTube channel: “I think that Liam Delap could be one to watch from Chelsea, another club that Tottenham wouldn’t normally do too much business with.

“Newcastle, Everton, Tottenham, the three clubs that like Delap. Before we can clarify whether anything is going to develop there, Delap wants to stay and fight for his place, so he’s going to understand where he is in this pecking order, with Joao Pedro number one under Xabi Alonso, who is going to be the number two striker?

“Is it still going to be Delap? Is it alternatively going to be Nico Jackson, who’s coming back from a loan spell at Bayern? I think unlikely, but Jackson wants pre-season to see if he can change the new manager’s mind.

“Once all that falls into place, if Delap is available on the market, Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham are the three Premier League clubs I’m hearing.”

Brazilian striker could be “collateral damage” – Murphy

Richarlison could be one forward to make way for Delap with former Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy predicting the Brazilian could be “collateral damage” under Roberto De Zerbi.

READ:Liverpool star ‘announces’ decision to leave as Tottenham ‘lead race’ to sign him with £60m ‘offer’

Murphy told Goal: “I think so. The problem is [Dominic] Solanke has got lots of attributes that De Zerbi would like. De Zerbi loves a high press and he likes intense football. Solanke at his best is brilliant at that, but he just can’t stay fit. When you look at that, and obviously he’s not getting younger, then I think De Zerbi will bring in a striker.

“I probably think Richarlison could be collateral damage in that because he’s not really got the fans behind him. He tries his best. He doesn’t have the quality that the Tottenham fans want to see leading in the line. I think a striker inevitably will come through the door.”

Murphy added: “I think De Zerbi will want to bring in at least four, maybe more, but probably down the spine. I know they’ve brought in [Marcos] Senesi, who’s a seasoned pro in the Premier League, wonderful passer of the ball, send it forward.”

Tottenham are set to launch a “a slightly improved offer” for Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke, according to one transfer expert.

Spurs have flown out of the traps in the summer transfer window with the signings of Premier League defenders Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers.

The Tottenham hierarchy are looking to make sure they don’t face the same relegation trouble again after they survived the drop on the final day of the season.

And Spurs look likely to make a third signing soon if they can agree a fee with Brighton for Van Hecke as they look to bring in another centre-back.

So far Tottenham have had two bids rejected for the Seagulls star and now Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke insists that their imminent third bid will be worth around £55m.

READ: Tottenham ‘ahead of’ Liverpool for £39m ‘bargain’ signing amid Van Hecke ‘collapse’ claim

O’Rourke told Football Insider: “Spurs will come back with a slightly improved offer of around £55m for Van Hecke.

“Brighton turned down the first two offers because they want to make as much money as they can, but they’re not in the strongest position here.

“There’s a confidence that Tottenham can get this deal over the line because the player is interested in making that move to Tottenham as well and to work again with Roberto De Zerbi.

“There is plenty of optimism on Tottenham’s side and on the player’s side that a deal can be reached which is encouraging for Spurs that he wants to make the move.

“So I expect that third bid for Van Hecke will be pretty imminent.”

There have been rumours that Brighton could demand as much as £70m for the Netherlands international but Rafael van der Vaart insists it would be “a really great step” for his compatriot.

Van der Vaart said: “Whether he’ll ever reach that level (Van Dijk and Ake) remains to be seen.

READ: Liverpool star ‘announces’ decision to leave as Tottenham ‘lead race’ to sign him with £60m ‘offer’

“But it’s certainly a very logical move. Spurs have had a disastrous season, finishing below Brighton, but Spurs are a much bigger club than Brighton.

“So that would be a really great step in that lad’s development, to be able to train there under Roberto De Zerbi. I think he should definitely go for it.”

On the transfer, Van der Vaart added: “It could well turn into a very long-drawn-out process. I think that’s a great deal to ask for a player like Jan Paul van Hecke.”

Spurs reject two bids for Luka Vuskovic – Romano

Tottenham have also been receiving offers for their own centre-back from Brighton with Fabrizio Romano revealing that two bids for Luka Vuskovic have been turned down.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Tottenham [have] rejected two bids from Brighton for Luka Vuskovic. Tottenham already said no to 35million euros (£30m). My understanding is that the player would consider this opportunity [if a deal could be agreed].

“Luka Vuskovic has several opportunities, several proposals, not only from Brighton but the player could be option to this option, to join Brighton, eventually, if Tottenham decide to proceed [with a deal].

“But my understanding, again, is that, at the moment, there is no agreement club-to-club. Tottenham have already rejected two proposals for Vuskovic, again the last one was 35million euros and now we have to see if they can be able to convince the club (Spurs) and to find an agreement.”

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur are ‘ahead of’ Liverpool in the race to sign an alternative to Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke.

Tottenham are currently focused on improving their defence, having already signed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers from Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth.

After landing these two players, the north London outfit have turned their attention to Brighton standout Van Hecke, who worked with head coach Roberto De Zerbi on the south coast.

Van Hecke is proven to be a very good Premier League centre-back, but he is in the final year of his current Brighton contract and they are trying to get their rivals to pay over the odds to secure his services.

Spurs have already failed with two bids for Van Hecke, and a report on Friday claimed they intend to return with an improved offer worth £55m.

READ: Liverpool star ‘announces’ decision to leave as Tottenham ‘lead race’ to sign him with £60m ‘offer’

This is surely towards the top end of what Spurs are willing to offer for Van Hecke, and another report this week claimed they will turn to Ordonez as an ‘alternate option’ if their move for the Brighton star ‘collapses’.

Now, a report from journalist Mark Brus for Caught Offside claims Tottenham are ‘ahead of’ Liverpool in the race to sign Joel Ordonez from Club Brugge for a ‘bargain’ fee worth around £39m.

The report claims:

‘My sources tell me that Liverpool, having previously cooled their interest, are seriously considering Ordonez again. There’s the feeling, though, that Tottenham are currently leading the race for his signature as they look for defensive signings.

‘Spurs have made Jan Paul van Hecke a priority, but with Brighton playing hardball over his transfer fee, they are ready to explore alternative targets.’

Jan Paul van Hecke comments on transfer speculation

Van Hecke is part of the Netherlands squad for the World Cup and will want to focus on the tournament, but he has not exactly closed the door on a transfer when asked about his future this week.

“Well, first of all, I just want to focus on the Dutch national team on Sunday,” Van Hecke said.

“That is a very important match for us, for me. So that’s my focus until now. Of course, things are also playing, and I know that myself too. But that’s not for now, that’s more after the World Cup. I will then see where I play.

“I have also said very clearly that I would like to have clarity for myself before the World Cup. And uh I have that too. But then for now for myself it’s just clear. I just want to play the World Cup as well as possible.”

He added: “That clarity will probably come after the World Cup when uh when I make that step, then it’s clear to everyone.”

According to reports, Liverpool star Cody Gakpo has informed the club that he wants to leave and Tottenham Hotspur are ‘leading’ the race to sign him.

The 27-year-old initially proved his worth following his move to Liverpool, but he was one of their poorer performers during the 2025/26 campaign.

Gakpo‘s disappointing form and Mohamed Salah’s exit mean it is Liverpool’s priority to sign at least one new winger this summer, and it now appears as if the Dutchman could also leave in this transfer window.

Earlier this month, a report claimed Gakpo has handed in a ‘transfer request’ to Liverpool becuase he ‘doesn’t see a future without Arne Slot’ after he was one of his compatriot’s most-used players in his two seasons as head coach.

Now, a report from Dutch outlet SoccerNews claims Gakpo has ‘made clear his desire to leave Liverpool’ during a recent meeting.

READ: Liverpool ‘leapfrog’ Man Utd for potential record transfer after FSG ‘take most decisive action’

Cody Gakpo reaches decision on leaving as Tottenham ‘lead race’ to sign him

The report claims:

‘The new manager at Liverpool is Andoni Iraola. The Basque master tactician comes over from Bournemouth. This may well change things for Gakpo. The Dutch international has himself announced to his club that he is open to a summer transfer, sources recently told SoccerNews.’

A report from Caught Offside, meanwhile, suggests Tottenham are ‘leading the race’ to sign Gakpo ahead of Newcastle United and Bayern Munich.

Spurs have been very active in the transfer market at the start of this window, and they have already signed Andy Robertson on a free transfer from Liverpool.

Ex-AFC Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi is their second addition, while they are ready to make a £55m bid for Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke and face losing Luka Vuskovic.

And Gakpo could be another signing, with Tottenham ‘preparing to offer’ 70 million euros (£60m) to secure his services.

The report explains:

‘Gakpo’s Liverpool future is understood to be in some doubt this summer after a dip in form, but the Netherlands international still has admirers in the Premier League and Europe.

‘Our understanding as of this morning is that Spurs are leading the race for Gakpo’s signature, and have internally put plans in place to offer a package worth around €70m for the 27-year-old.’

Regarding incomings, Liverpool have been tipped to sign two Bournemouth players following the appointment of Iraola as Slot’s replacement.

Jose Mourinho has made a habit of signing Portuguese players throughout his career and is about to repeat the trick by taking Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid.

Often picking players from the pool represented by his own agents, Mourinho has linked up with several of his countrymen in different territories.

It all began with a big focus on Portuguese talent at the start of his Chelsea reign and his commitment to compatriots remains unwavering.

Here’s our ranking of Mourinho’s compatriots that he’s signed for non-Portuguese clubs.

More like ‘Who?’-no Morais.

Guys?

Signed from Portuguese second-tier side Penafiel in the same summer Mourinho was appointed by Chelsea in 2004, the defensive midfielder only made four Premier League appearances.

He ultimately sailed off to spend more than a decade in Cyprus with APOEL. Fair play.

A total waste of time for everyone involved.

Most 21 year olds about to join a club on loan with an option to buy worth more than £40m must be decent; Spurs never bothered to find out when it came to Fernandes.

The midfielder seriously struggled for gametime during his year on loan with Spurs, never starting a Premier League game.

“All young players want to work with Jose Mourinho because he’s one of the best – all of us as players want to stay near the best, so it’s fantastic to work with him,” Fernandes said upon joining.

Mourinho had respect for Fernandes – “I will never be the one to push him or say that I don’t want him here,” he insisted a couple of months before the 18-month loan was terminated – but just not enough room in his plans for him.

He was the only Portuguese signing Mourinho made during his time with Spurs, with an attempt for a better Fernandes – Bruno – falling short.

To be fair to Sanches, he managed to rebuild his career from being a Swansea City flop to a somewhat respectable midfielder again in France.

But he took a massive step backwards after he joined Roma on loan from PSG in the summer of 2023.

The midfielder scored on his first Serie A start for the club, but it was also his only Serie A start. And it only lasted 45 minutes.

Sanches’ spell with Roma was characterised by seven different injuries within the space of a year. Mourinho didn’t last the course of the season and needless to say, Roma didn’t buy Sanches permanently after he’d gone.

A maverick on his day but it rarely was his day during his Inter spell.

Quaresma cost Inter more than €18m to sign in 2008 and he had a bright start with a debut Serie A trivela goal.

But he never scored for Inter again and Mourinho bemoaned his lack of work for the team.

Just four months after his arrival, Quaresma was binned off on loan to Chelsea and later named the worst player of the season in Serie A.

Great for Mourinho at Porto. Not so much at Chelsea.

A steady if unspectacular member of the Roma squad that Mourinho led to Europa Conference League glory.

Oliveira joined midway through his first season there on loan from Porto and just about met expectations in midfield, but not enough to earn a permanent move as Mourinho instead proceeded to do what he does best: sign Nemanja Matic.

Has by all accounts done fairly well since leaving Wolves for Fenerbahce – where he was Mourinho’s only Portuguese signing – in 2025.

They didn’t work together for long, though. Mourinho was sacked less than a month after the right-back’s arrival.

After thinking it was a good idea to replace Alisson with, erm, future Aston Villa benchwarmer Robin Olsen, and then being let down by one-time Spurs loanee Pau Lopez as his successor, Roma knew they needed a new keeper to appease their new boss Mourinho in 2021.

He turned to his Gestifute stablemate Patricio to fill the void and it cost Roma less than £10m to buy him from Wolves.

It did the trick at first, with Patricio ever-present in his first Serie A season and playing a key part in Roma’s Europa Conference League triumph.

But his form dropped off massively over the next couple of years and he lost his starting place just after Mourinho was sacked in January 2024.

Eight years is a long time in football but that’s how long Dalot has been on Man Utd’s books now.

One of those campaigns was spent on loan at AC Milan but the full-back has been a United first-team regular for the past five seasons.

Is he great? No. But has it been a respectable enough spell? Yeah, we’ll give him that.

His form has been up and down over the years and we never saw his best while he was playing under Mourinho, but almost 250 appearances from a player who cost £19m is a decent return.

Might there be another Mourinho reunion on the cards?

Mourinho will be hoping his next Portuguese signing for Real Madrid is as good, if not better, than the last.

Coentrao arrived from Benfica in 2011 in a part-exchange deal with Ezequiel Garay, brought in to add competition for Marcelo at left-back.

He never quite dislodged Marcelo but was a worthy understudy who in a parallel universe would have been a capable starter himself.

Coentrao made 106 appearances for Madrid, winning La Liga at the first time of asking as part of Mourinho’s record-breaking side.

After playing for Mourinho at Porto and Chelsea, Carvalho linked up with the Special One again after his appointment in Madrid in 2010.

Carvalho enjoyed a strong debut season, making 48 appearances, but featured less heavily over the next two.

There had been some scepticism at the time of his move – when he was in his 30s – but Carvalho held up his standards at first.

“I can understand why some criticised the move. I was 32 and I’d been at Chelsea a long time,” he reflected towards the end of his debut season. “I had a physical problem, which started because I was not given time to recover fully. I was out for longer than is normal for a muscular problem. There was pressure, I wanted to play and I got injured again. It was not properly healed and I had a relapse.

“But I was convinced I’d succeed. I knew I’d play well here. It’s a different game and I wanted to prove I was in shape physically and mentally.”

Part of the Chelsea squad for Mourinho’s debut season after joining from Benfica, Tiago went on to play more than 50 times.

Despite his importance, Chelsea let him go after a single year, selling him to Lyon to grant his wishes of playing more ahead of the 2006 World Cup.

“He is a wonderful boy and was a very good player for us. We will miss him – the player and the person,” Mourinho said at the time.

Years later, after settling at Atletico Madrid, Tiago revealed Mourinho tried to sign him again for his second Chelsea spell.

One of the more reliable players of Mourinho’s first Chelsea side, Ferreira followed him from Porto in 2004.

Becoming an important player, the right-back helped Chelsea win the Premier League title in his and Mourinho’s debut season.

Ferreira eventually made more than 200 appearances for Chelsea, where he stayed until retiring in the same summer that Mourinho returned for his second spell with the club.

At his best, Mourinho declared Ferreira as the world’s finest right-back.

But it’s another of Mourinho’s all-time favourites – that familiar face of Carvalho – who comes out on top.

Also making the move from Porto to Chelsea in 2004, the centre-back was a consistent player at Stamford Bridge for six years before his second Mourinho reunion in Madrid.

They had their flash-points while working together at Chelsea, but clearly retained a mutual respect.

Carvalho’s final appearance tally for Chelsea was 210 and, like Ferreira, he became a three-time Premier League champion.

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur are ‘set to make a £55m offer’ for Jan Paul van Hecke after making a U-turn on Luka Vuskovic.

The north London side have done the most transfer business of any Premier League club at the start of this summer.

They have already signed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on a free transfers, and they want to strengthen their defence further with the addition of Van Hecke.

Van Hecke, who is in the final year of his contract at Brighton, has emerged as a leading target for Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi, who worked with the centre-back at the Seagulls.

Tottenham have already had two bids rejected for Van Hecke, but you have to feel that they will eventually finalise a deal with Brighton.

READ: Diomande for Salah next: Ranking the last 10 replacements for Premier League legends

However, Spurs will ultimately have to overpay for Van Hecke, while Brighton are working to pull off the major coup of signing Vuskovic from the north London outfit.

The 19-year-old is coming off a breakout loan spell at Bundesliga side Hamburg, and he has been attracting interest from clubs around Europe in recent months.

Initially, it was reported that Spurs would push to keep Vuskovic ahead of next season, but our colleagues at TEAMtalk are now reporting that they have made a ‘U-turn’ and could now ‘sanction’ his exit after he ‘informed’ them of his desire to join Brighton.

Vuskovic reaches ‘full verbal agreement’ as Spurs set to make ‘third offer’ for Van Hecke

Brighton have lined up Vuskovic as a replacement for Van Hecke with a £30m bid, and the Spurs youngster reportedly feels that he can develop better at their Premier League rivals.

The report adds:

‘Brighton continue to value Van Hecke at more than £65million, while their £30million offer for Vuskovic has opened the door to a potential compromise between the clubs.

‘We can also confirm that Vuskovic’s representatives have floated the possibility of including a buy-back clause in any agreement.’

And German journalist Florian Plettenberg has added that Brighton and Vuskovic have a ‘full verbal agreement’ over personal terms.

Plettenberg said on X: ‘BREAKING | Understand Luka Vuskovic has already reached a full verbal agreement with Brighton following very positive talks with Fabian Hürzeler and the club’s hierarchy.

‘Several other clubs have already been turned down. Brighton have submitted a €35m offer to Tottenham post @David_Ornstein.

‘The deal remains complicated, but Brighton are pushing hard and continue to fight for the transfer. Other clubs are also planning to enter the race.’

Regarding Van Hecke, Football Insider are reporting that Spurs are ‘set to make a third offer’ for the Brighton star, though it will still fall shy of his reported £65m valuation.

The report claims:

‘Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a third offer worth £55million to sign Brighton star Jan Paul van Hecke after seeing two bids rejected.

‘Spurs have already seen offers worth £40million and £50million rebuffed by the Seagulls, but are growing increasingly confident they will get a deal over the line.’

Football clubs only know one way to fix their problems these days: transfers, transfers and more transfers.

But bringing in a new player can often get in the way of one of their youngsters progressing in the first team.

We’ve picked out seven moves this summer – either confirmed or expected – that could have consequences for young talents.

Marcos Senesi to Tottenham

Potential victim: Luka Vuskovic

Marcos Senesi has joined as a free agent from Bournemouth; the 29-year-old ticks the important box of being experienced – and in the Premier League to boot.

You can see why Spurs have done it, especially if they lose one of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

But could it be at the expense of one of Spurs’ better performers – who naturally did that performing for a different team – from the season just gone?

Luka Vuskovic was a revelation in the Bundesliga while on loan with Hamburg. Now, the 19-year-old’s next step is uncertain.

Bayern Munich have already been linked in a sign that he might have outgrown Spurs before even making his debut.

Alternatively, Spurs could send him out on loan again. But either way, his prospects of being part of Roberto De Zerbi’s squad for the full duration of next season don’t look too promising.

New midfielder to Arsenal

Potential victim: Myles Lewis-Skelly

Whose 2025 crystal ball had Myles Lewis-Skelly starting the Champions League final in holding midfield?

That’s the reality that somehow came true after the midfielder-turned-left-back turned into a midfielder again.

Even though Arsenal didn’t win the Champions League, it was a big step for Lewis-Skelly, who’d fallen down the pecking order at left-back and seemed to have an uncertain future.

Deep down, he must have hoped for a future back in midfield. And with Martin Zubimendi falling off the pace by the end of the season, he finally got his chance.

But there’s a belief that Arsenal could look to strengthen their midfield further this summer as they look to take the next step at European level.

In that case, 19-year-old Lewis-Skelly would face more competition for gametime again – especially when you’d expect Zubimendi to acclimatise.

Bernardo Silva to Barcelona

Potential victim: Fermin Lopez, Gavi, Marc Bernal

There’s a player there for someone. You don’t need us to tell you about Silva’s qualities and ability to still cut it at the top level.

But as the 31-year-old moves on from Manchester City as a free agent, the suggestion of a move to Barcelona could cause some headaches for Hansi Flick.

Silva to Barcelona makes sense on paper. He’s good enough to play for them and he’s cheap enough for them too. It’s a very Barcelona signing.

But their pool of promising midfielders already includes Fermin Lopez, Gavi and Marc Bernal, all products of La Masia rated by Flick.

Lopez has just had the busiest and highest-scoring season of his career, whilst Gavi and Bernal have both had big injuries in recent years but still have big potential at the ages of 21 and 19.

Silva is a quality player, worthy of Barcelona’s level, but if any of their own talents are to reach those kind of levels too, they’ll need more gametime.

Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid

Potential victim: Raul Asencio, Dean Huijsen

On one hand, you could view Konate’s impending move to Real Madrid as a way for them to replace the experience of the departing David Alaba.

But if Antonio Rudiger commits his future to the club for next season, you can imagine Jose Mourinho relying on those two as his preferred pairing.

Mourinho likes Dean Huijsen and knew about him before most of us did, encouraging Roma to loan him from Juventus in January 2024 and getting to work with him for a whole 10 days before being sacked.

But we suspect he’ll want as much experience as possible in his Madrid backline and could partner Konate with Rudiger.

Huijsen, 21, will get his chances. The bigger question marks may be over the future of 23-year-old Raul Asencio.

Under contract until 2031, Asencio reportedly wants to stay at the club where he developed. But he will likely start the season as fourth-choice centre-back and be demoted to fifth-choice once Eder Militao returns from injury.

New keeper to Newcastle

Potential victim: The other new keeper

Bit of a different one this given they’ve only just signed Ewen Jaouen, but the fact they’ve dropped £18m or so on him at the age of 20 suggests they see a big future for him.

Sure, this is the club who supposedly spent £20m on Odysseas Vlachodimos to be, erm, third choice. But there are big hopes for Jaouen’s progression at St. James’ Park.

Trouble is, Newcastle want a replacement for Nick Pope now – and it’s not thought that Jaouen is that man.

Thus, he could quickly find himself stuck behind a more established keeper. For how long remains to be seen.

It’s not quite a James Trafford to Man City situation, since he probably doesn’t expect to be a starter anyway – 20 is practically a child for a keeper – but if Newcastle are going to replace Pope with a new number one this summer, they’re going to want to get it right.

And that could mean a big investment that pushes Jaouen’s potential breakthrough further back.

New right-back to Man City

Potential victim: Rico Lewis

As a City academy graduate who can play in midfield but has settled at full-back, Rico Lewis has been upstaged somewhat by Nico O’Reilly on the opposite side.

Lewis’ future at City is now in doubt, especially when midfield and right-back are two positions the club could make signings for this summer.

The ridiculously priced Elliot Anderson is the big target in midfield, which could shut off Lewis’ chances of ever making it there, depending on how his new boss sees him.

But even at right-back, the 21-year-old could be pushed further to the fringes of the City team.

It would be a shame for a player who promised so much and still has time on his side, but he will have to consider his options. Is Fulham calling?

New winger to Liverpool

Potential victim: Rio Ngumoha

Liverpool’s main focus right now will be on finding a new right winger to replace Mohamed Salah.

But they could easily be tempted to find an upgrade for Cody Gakpo on the left wing as well.

If they do, they’ll have to be mindful of the consequences for their prodigious talent Rio Ngumoha.

Still only 17, Ngumoha dazzled when given a chance last season by Arne Slot. Now he’ll be learning from a new boss in Andoni Iraola and one with a good track record of improving young players.

But if Liverpool decide to swap out Gakpo for a better starting winger – and it’s still an ‘if’ at this stage – then that new player would be hoping for the lion’s share of gametime on the left.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi wants to keep Pedro Porro, amid claims that Manchester City want to bring the right-back to the Etihad Stadium.

Man City are planning to sign a new right-back in the summer transfer window, as Enzo Maresca gets set to replace Pep Guardiola as the manager at the Etihad Stadium.

The Premier League giants have made contact with the agents of Porro, who was on their books from 2019 until 2022.

There is interest in the Tottenham and Spain international right-back from Atletico Madrid.

Journalist Gianluigi Longari wrote on X at 9:33pm on June 10: “Pedro Porro could leave Tottenham.

“Among the clubs that have already made contact with his agents are Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.

READ: Every Premier League transfer confirmed in the summer of 2026

“Tottenham values Porro at nearly 60M.”

Tottenham Hotspur will not sell Pedro Porro

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has responded to the claim and has revealed that Tottenham do not want to sell Porro.

The Italian journalist has also stated that Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi is personally keen on keeping the Spain international right-back at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Romano posted on X at 9:01am on June 11: “Understand Tottenham manager De Zerbi see Pedro Porro as crucial player and the club also don’t want him to leave.

“Despite reports, #THFC want Porro to stay.”

This is not the first time that Romano has reported that De Zerbi wants Porro to stay at Tottenham.

Earlier this month, the transfer journalist revealed Real Madrid’s desire to sign Porro.

The Spanish and European giants were on the hunt for a right-back at the time.

Madrid eventually decided to strike a deal for Denzel Dumfries of Inter Milan.

At the time, Romano said that Tottenham want to keep Porro.

Romano wrote on X at 10:14pm on June 1: “Real Madrid plan to sign a right back this summer with Denzel Dumfries and Pedro Porro among options being considered.

“Ivan Fresneda has also been scouted recently.”

Romano added about Porro on his YouTube channel: “On this, let me mention to you that Real Madrid have started entering into the right-backs market.

“And here we have the link with Tottenham.

“Pedro Porro is one of the players appreciated by Real Madrid, but my understanding is that Tottenham, despite the rumours we had also Manchester City, Tottenham don’t want to sell the player.

“Tottenham want Pedro Porro to stay.

“Roberto De Zerbi sees Pedro Porro as one of the crucial pieces of his squad to restart the Tottenham project in the best way possible.

“So, at the moment, Tottenham are closing doors for Pedro Porro.”

Tottenham have lined up Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez in case their deal for Jan Paul van Hecke collapses, according to reports.

Spurs narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the Premier League season as a 1-0 win over Everton confirmed their Premier League status for next season.

Tottenham finished two points ahead of 18th-placed West Ham, who were relegated to the Championship, and now Spurs are taking to steps to avoid a repeat performance next season.

Spurs announced earlier this week that Andy Robertson is joining on a free transfer from Liverpool as they look to add experience to their squad.

A deal for Bournemouth centre-back Marco Senesi has been in the pipeline for a long time and now Romano has confirmed that the Argentina international has completed his move to Tottenham.

Romano wrote on X: ‘Tottenham have completed their double free agent signings as planned since April. After Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi joins on a four year deal until June 2030 — never in doubt, no chance for hijacks as Marcos said yes to Spurs weeks ago. Medical done today. #THFC.’

READ: Why Cristian Romero to Man Utd was always a nonsense transfer link…

Tottenham have also been bidding on Brighton defender Van Hecke with two offers turned down and Ben Jacobs revealing that Spurs are set to make another soon.

Jacobs wrote on social media: ‘Spurs intend to place a third bid for Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke. Van Hecke only has a year left on his contract and wants to join. There remains optimism an agreement can be reached.’

But now Tottenham website Harry Hotspur claims that Club Brugge centre-back Ordonez is ‘on their shortlist as they look to reinforce their backline in the summer window’.

READ: Tottenham ‘primed to sign’ second Man City star in potential £100m double deal – ‘advancing’

The report insists that if the Van Hecke transfer ‘collapses’ then Ordonez is an ‘alternate option’ with De Zerbi’s ‘previous interest in the Ecuadorian defender during his time at Marseille’.

However, interest from other big clubs ‘might have complicated Tottenham’s chances of landing the player’ while Brugge are looking for around €45m (£39m) for the defender.

Juventus have ‘made an offer’ for the Club Brugge star, while Chelsea and Liverpool are also interested, with the report adding: ‘Tottenham sought to leverage De Zerbi’s influence to gain ground in the race, but Liverpool and Chelsea’s financial strength and European competition status could prove decisive. Brugge’s valuation underlines the defender’s rising market value, setting the stage for a fierce battle for his signature.’

Tottenham are also ‘advancing’ towards a deal to sign Manchester City winger Savinho with the Citizens looking for a deal worth around £60m.