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Transfer insider Florian Plettenberg has revealed that Tottenham are not working on a deal to sign Leon Goretzka, who is unlikely to leave Bayern Munich in January.

Spurs have been linked with some top players of late, amid their recent struggles. They succeeded in the early season, before dropping back into the bottom half of the Premier League table, as they currently find themselves 11th.

Big-club players like Omar Marmoush, Savinho and Goretzka have been linked with Tottenham moves recently.

While the Goretzka links have continued to crop up, transfer insider Plettenberg has poured cold water on them.

He stated that despite reports, Spurs are not working on a deal for the midfielder, with links ‘clearly denied.’

Further to that, Plettenber reports there are no indications that Goretzka will leave Bayern in January, as Vincent Kompany holds him in high regard and values his performances.

That is highlighted by Goretzka starting 12 of his 14 Bundesliga appearances this term.

Plettenberg’s report comes after it was stated the midfielder’s agent was in talks with Spurs for if Bayern were to let him leave.

That report came just over a week after it was stated there had been a ‘total break’ between Goretzka and his club, following his substitution in the 2-2 draw with Mainz.

The midfielder removes all traces of Bayern from his Instagram, though there is now one photo from his time at the club on there.

In any case, with his contract expiring in the summer, there seems a good chance he will decide to head elsewhere at the end of the season.

During this period, it has been suggested that Spurs are one of the best-placed sides to land the German, but with Plettenberg denying they are in talks for his signing, that might not actually be the case.

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Recent reports also suggested that Galatasaray could be an option, with the club looking for the sort of player that Goretzka is.

Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu said: “Domenico Tedesco doesn’t want a low-profile number eight. He’s looking for a strong, powerful, dominant, and high-profile name he can hand the starting shirt to.

“The candidates are clear, but there’s no definitive situation with any name. In terms of playing style, a player in the Goretzka mould is wanted.”

Whether that remains the case come the summer remains to be seen.

The father of Tottenham defender Luka Vuskovic has revealed where he’d like for him to play next season, as he doesn’t want him to “skip steps.”

Spurs currently have six centre-backs at their disposal. Radu Dragusin has only just come back from injury, and Cristian Romero is suspended, but the latter is generally the favoured central defender alongside Micky van de Ven.

The options beyond them mean that summer signing Vuskovic had no role in the squad this term, and he was loaned out to Bundesliga side Hamburg.

The 18-year-old is having a great first season in a top-five league, playing 1,170 minutes and scoring twice from centre-back, as well as being part of a couple of clean sheets.

Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that Tottenham are constantly monitoring the central defender, and are very happy with his performances on loan.

Spurs see Vuskovic as part of their long-term plans, and they seemingly want to keep the defender out on his loan until the end of the season.

Whether or not he plays for Spurs next term or is sent out on another loan remains to be seen.

As per his father, it wouldn’t be a problem if he stayed with his current side, or another German club, given he’s thriving in the Bundesliga.

He told Sportske Novosti: “Until June, he is definitely at HSV, and after that we will sit down with Tottenham and see what’s best. I am extremely satisfied with how he lives and trains.

“I would not like him to skip steps and go straight to the English Premier League, which I believe is the strongest in the world. There is still plenty of room for growth. As far as I’m concerned, it wouldn’t be bad if he stayed in Germany.”

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Should Vuskovic continue to impress away in the Bundesliga, it would not be a surprise to see him playing at Tottenham next season.

Indeed, he’s impressing in a similar league and could challenge the partnership of Romero and Van de Ven.

Should Spurs see his best chance of doing so spending another season out on loan, then it doesn’t look as if that would do him any harm given how he’s played this season.

Tottenham are among the clubs said to be targeting Scott McTominay after suggestions that he could look to return to England from Serie A giants Napoli.

Spurs have a number of midfield options in their squad. This term, they have used six players in the midfield, while Dejan Kulusevki and potentially James Maddison could return from injury this season to add to those options.

But according to reports, Tottenham are looking for more midfielders to add to their squad.

Calciomercato reports that amid a suggestion that Napoli midfielder McTominay could look to return to England, Spurs are one of the clubs with him in their sights, along with Newcastle and Barcelona.

It is also said that the possibility of a return to the Premier League has ‘reignited’ discussion about a move back to Manchester United.

Indeed, it has been suggested that being in Italy has not been the best for the midfielder.

That comes from a report which stated: “Scott loves certain aspects of Italian life and has had a wonderful first season. But the passion of the fans can be a blessing but also cause difficulties. He’s treated like a god there, but that means he finds it difficult to do simple things when he’s not training. The attention can be suffocating.”

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But the potential of a return to England has had cold water poured on it by McTominay himself, who recently said: “The people of Naples are incredible, they’re so passionate, and everywhere you go, there are people who say ‘Forza Napoli’ and want to talk to you and have a conversation, and that inspires you every time you step onto the pitch because it’s important to them too.

“It’s different, it’s a totally different way of life—the way you eat, the way you live, and everything else. It gives you more mental strength. I’ve always lived very close to my mum, so I could go to her whenever I wanted.

“Now I live 1,500 miles away, so I can’t just go home and see my mum, my family, my sister, and my kids, so it’s different. In life, sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone, and I’ve always prided myself on that. I never want to be in my comfort zone, and if I can go anywhere and succeed and do well, why not? Who’s to stop me from doing that?”

Egypt boss Hossam Hassan feels “nothing will distract” one of his stars from the African Cup of Nations amid links to a move to Tottenham of late.

Egypt have made a strong start to AFCON. The North African nation beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in their opener and then turned over South Africa 1-0 in their next game.

Striker Omar Marmoush got himself into good form immediately by bagging his side’s first goal of the tournament.

He has not had huge opportunities for form in club football, being given only 206 minutes in the Premier League this season, with other Manchester City attackers preferred, and largely maintaining form.

Amid a struggle for minutes, Marmoush has been linked with a move to Tottenham, though Egypt boss Hassan doesn’t feel his focus will stray away from the national team.

He said: “Marmoush would be an asset for any team in the Premier League, and I hope he stays there. He has an agent who will discuss his future with him.

“Nothing will distract him from the national team during the tournament, especially after his brilliant performance in the first match.”

The interest from Tottenham in Marmoush may only be basic at this stage, with it reported earlier in December that they were ‘looking at’ the Egyptian forward.

However, given he’s not being given many minutes at City, while the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki are impressing, a move to Spurs could be good for him.

They have been crying out for a competent left-winger, while striker Richarlison has underwhelmed at periods this term, meaning there are two positions in which Marmoush could potentially play there.

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However, he first has progression in AFCON to focus on. After two wins in the first two games, Egypt have booked their place in the next round, and with both Marmoush and Mohamed Salah in form, there seems a good chance of progress.

Should they get all the way to the final, Marmoush and Co will be absent until January 18, when the AFCON final takes place.

What’s more, if Marmoush remains in form, both he and City could feel there is an immediate future for him at the Manchester club.

Tottenham insider John Wenham feels Richarlison could leave the club very soon, with no talk over an extension and his “purple patch” having faded.

Spurs have hauled themselves from 15th to 11th in the Premier League with victory over Crystal Palace. They broke a two-match losing streak – against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool – to begin to climb back up the table.

The only goal of the game was scored by Archie Gray. Striker Richarlison had the ball in the net twice, but was offside once and looked close for the other goal, though Lucas Bergvall was adjudged to be offside earlier in the move anyway.

That neither goal counted means, in the league, the striker has scored twice in the last six games, below what a big-six striker would expect of themselves.

Tottenham insider Wenham feels that lack of consistency is one of the reasons he might be shown the door soon.

He told Tottenham News: “The thing is against Forest last week, he offered nothing, we don’t see that Richarlison enough [the one against Liverpool], if we did he would be at Real Madrid or something.

“The way he can wind up players of the quality of [Virgil] van Dijk, Alisson and others, who have seen it all in their career, he causes massive problems.

“If he could do it every week, he would be at Madrid, but he was basically unplayable for that sort of 15 minutes.

“The start of the season, he had a purple patch, outstanding against PSG in the Super Cup, we then play Burnley in the league and he scores two, including that fantastic acrobatic scissor kick, then he can go nine games without a goal, or have a mysterious injury.

“I still think there is a very decent chance he leaves Tottenham in January, I know he has 18 months left on his contract, there was serious interest in the summer, I expect MLS clubs to come back in for him.

“There is no sort of talk of an extension at Tottenham, so, I could still see Richarlison moving in the near future.”

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MLS club Orlando City were said to have been eyeing Richarlison in the summer, wanting to sign him to a long-term contract and see him become a leading figure for them prior to the 2026 World Cup.

Whether they’d now want to sign the Brazilian remains to be seen.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank described his side’s latest win as “very important” as he was happy with the performance of a side who had been struggling.

Spurs had been struggling in the Premier League of late. Prior to the visit of Crystal Palace, they had lost their last two games, against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

That had them 15th in the league, but a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace has pushed them up to 11th, just one point below Fulham in 10th, and also one below opponents Palace.

The winner came from Archie Gray, who scored his first career goal in his 112th game. Tottenham had the ball in the net twice more, but Richarlison’s goals were both ruled out through offside.

In any case, the victory should ease pressure on boss Thomas Frank, as his side had begun to slip after they had started the season far better than their position of late reflected.

The Spurs boss said on Sky Sports: “Very important win. Clearly a game where desire beats detail. I don’t think we did a top performance. I like how we dug in, worked very hard, disciplined.

“I think we also managed to create enough chances. To come here and win 1-0. Very impressed with the players when things is not perfect, we did so many things right.

“We’re missing quite a few of the offensive players, so with that in mind it’s even more impressive.”

On Gray, the manager said: “He got his match-winner moment, very happy for him, he’s growing a lot, doing more and more things right.

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Frank is also happy with how his side are performing given they’re playing in different competitions.

He said: “I think we are in that transition process. In a season when we play Champions League and want to compete in the Premier League. Positives in terms of resilience, tight, tricky game. We need to keep building small layers.

In January, Frank’s Spurs side will be on the hunt for transfer, but won’t push for moves they don’t need to make.

“We will be in the market, it needs to be something where we clearly think we can improve the team,” Frank said.

Paul Merson has backed Antoine Semenyo to head to Tottenham rather than Manchester City, amid a question over Pep Guardiola and the potential role the forward would play.

It has seemed for a while like a big battle for Semenyo has been brewing. The Bournemouth man has been one of the Premier League’s form players this term, with eight goals and three assists in 16 games.

But of late, City have pushed their way to the top of the pile for him. Fabrizio Romano revealed things were trending very much in the right direction for the transfer just before Christmas, and that seems to remain the case.

Liverpool are reportedly still alive in the race, though it’s felt Semenyo would rather head to City.

According to Merson, a different club entirely, Tottenham, could be where the winger lands.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he explained: “The one that you just said he wouldn’t go to, Tottenham.

“I look at Man United, I think he’d have to play at wing-back because they’ve got the two behind already and the way they play, unless he’s [Ruben Amorim] sort of trying that now to change it up to see if that’s going to be the way they’re going to play if they get Semenyo, like they did yesterday. That might be one of the reasons.

“Man City? We don’t know if Pep is going to be there next season. So for me, I think Tottenham.

“It’s really open, need a left-sided midfielder, there’s plenty of space and he’ll play every week. He plays every week at Bournemouth. Will he get used to being able to play two games, coming out for one or two, playing another two.

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“He might be one of them players that needs to play week in, week out. It’s hard. The foreign players can do it, they’ve been used to it. But for English players, and especially for someone like him who has been playing consistently all the time, he might not like that.

“So, it’s one for him to think about. He’s got the world at his feet, and all he’s got to do is make sure, thank God, he doesn’t get injured in the next 12 days or so.”

A move to Tottenham wouldn’t be the biggest step forward, with both Bournemouth and Spurs in the bottom half of the table, while the Manchester sides and Liverpool are all within the Premier League’s top six.

The agent of Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka is said to be “in talks” with Tottenham for if the German club allow the midfielder to leave.

Spurs have fallen dramatically back from the battle for top four of late. Indeed, in the early period under Thomas Frank this season, they looked back near their best, but currently they are labouring in the bottom half of the table.

Whether it is the manager or some personnel, a change will need to be made soon if they want to get something out of the season.

Tottenham have been linked with some top players as a result of that. Of late, they were reported to be ‘one of the best-positioned teams’ to land Bayern midfielder Goretzka.

Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuolgu has reiterated that of late.

Amid interest from Fenerbahce in Goretzka, too, he said: “Domenico Tedesco doesn’t want a low-profile number eight. He’s looking for a strong, powerful, dominant, and high-profile name he can hand the starting shirt to.

“The candidates are clear, but there’s no definitive situation with any name. In terms of playing style, a player in the Goretzka mould is wanted.

“Goretzka’s agent is in talks with Tottenham, if Bayern lets him go.”

It was recently suggested that there had been a ‘total break’ between Goretzka and Bayern, after he was subbed off in a 2-2 draw against Mainz.

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Following that, Goretzka removed all Bayern photos from his Instagram, while there is now one single photo from his time at the club on there, and he played the full 90 minutes against Heidenheim last time out.

Goretzka’s Instagram is now awash with Fenerbahce fans telling him to join the Turkish club, while there are some Bayern fans who want him out.

Whether that has any bearing on his next decision remains to be seen, but it seems that over the past few weeks, Spurs have put themselves in a good position to land the German midfielder.

Currently, it is not clear whether Bayern would allow the midfielder to leave in January, as though it seems he might be unhappy with his situation at the club, he’s clearly still required, having played the full 90 in the last game, and started the last three games in the league.

That said, he is out of contract in the summer, and the German giants might not be able to stop his transfer, as he’d be able to walk away for nothing then.

According to reports, three Tottenham Hotspur players could be heading for an exit in January as they are attracting interest from several clubs.

An overhaul at Spurs is possible heading into 2026 as there has been little sign of improvement under head coach Thomas Frank.

The former Brentford boss was brought in to steady the ship following Ange Postecoglou’s dramatic reign and the north London outfit made a strong start this campaign.

Spurs benefited from Frank making them more defensively solid, but their results and performances have fallen off a cliff over recent months. They have lost seven of their first 17 Premier League games as they have fallen to 14th in the table.

Tottenham are particularly lacking in forward areas as they need to make further changes to their squad in the coming months.

They could offload certain players to raise funds for these possible additions, with Brennan Johnson among those linked with an exit.

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Johnson has had limited game time this term and has a couple of potential destinations in England, while Radu Dragusin and Guglielmo Vicario are reportedly ‘wanted’ in a ‘double deal’ by Serie A giants Inter Milan.

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Dragusin could join Inter Milan on loan in January, while they are plotting a 30 million euro move for Vicario to be a long-term replacement for Yann Sommer.

Regarding Johnson, a report from Football Insider claims he is ‘to leave Tottenham fairly soon’, while former Premier League CEO Keith Wyness has explained why a move to Crystal Palace is ‘likely’.

“Yeah, I think Palace is a real option for him, and I think the one that’s making all the positive noise is Ipswich because they’ve had a real good run recently back up into the promotion places, at least the playoffs, in the Championship,” Wyness explained.

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“So yes, I think Brendan Johnson could be for Palace. I think he’s a talent. He’s been a little bit inconsistent at Spurs.

“But you know he’ll be looking as well as whether Glasner will be there or not. So that could make a decision for him as well.

“Whereas it does seem Kieran McKenna is still remaining loyal at Ipswich, and so we’ll see where that goes.

“As a young player, I think he seems to be a confident striker that needs that arm around the shoulder. And so he’ll be making a decision based on that.

“But certainly I think Palace. I also heard Brentford, but I do think that Palace and Ipswich are the two front-runners. I expect him to move fairly soon.”

According to reports, Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves wants to leave Saudi Arabia and has interest from three Premier League clubs, including Manchester United.

Neves joined Al Hilal from Wolves in a club-record sale worth around £47million in June 2023.

The 28-year-old was linked with a host of European clubs, including Man United and Barcelona, before landing in Saudi Arabia.

As is the case with most players his age, it never felt like Neves’ long-term future was in the Middle East and, two-and-a-half years later, he is reportedly keen to return to Europe.

Neves’ contract expires at the end of the season and a renewal looks unlikely.

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Man Utd, Spurs, Newcastle ‘preparing offers’ for Portugal star

Man United have been linked with the Portugal international again, with Real Madrid also mentioned, but Galatasaray, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have now been added to the mix.

According to Sabah in Turkey (via Sport Witness), Al Hilal do not want to lose Neves on a free and the three Premier League clubs are on red alert.

The report says United, Spurs and Newcastle are all providing ‘significant and strong competition’ and are ‘preparing offers’ expected to be submitted during the January transfer window.

With Neves’ contract set to expire in June, he is not expected to cost more than £22m, though a fee as low as £15m is not ruled out.

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Neves would be a brilliant signing for Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.

There may be concerns about whether Neves has the legs to cover ground relentlessly for United, but his technical quality is not up for debate.

United need a player who can dictate play while also contributing defensively, which is exactly the sort of midfielder required to play alongside Bruno Fernandes.

Neves could elevate Fernandes’ game to another level, which is quite frightening given the captain is already producing in such an inconsistent and underperforming team.

Newcastle, meanwhile, already have Sandro Tonali operating in the No.6 role, but he could potentially move further forward in a tactical switch similar to Declan Rice’s role at Arsenal.

There might be concerns about a lack of goals from a midfield trio of Neves, Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, but it would still be a very strong unit.

If Tonali can become what Rice has been for Arsenal as a No.8, Newcastle’s season could turn positive after a miserable first half of 2025/26.

Joelinton appears to be on the decline and a natural replacement for him may be more of a priority than a deep-lying playmaker like Neves. That said, if Eddie Howe sees Tonali further up the pitch, signing the Portuguese midfielder could prove a masterstroke.

Spurs would be silly not to seriously compete for Neves’ signature as well. They desperately need more quality in midfield and their No.6 options are limited offensively.

Joao Palhinha is a brilliant player, but he is not someone capable of unlocking defences or dictating the tempo of a match. Neves can do both.

In truth, Spurs need anyone capable of improving their starting XI. They are currently 14th in the Premier League and Thomas Frank is under serious pressure.

What does look certain is that Neves will leave Al Hilal in January, and most Premier League clubs should be paying attention.