Football365

Arsenal are genuinely interested in signing a Chelsea forward who could leave for around £70m-£75m, and a deal would simultaneously wreck Tottenham’s transfer plans.

Arsenal remain determined to add to their forward line on the back of several painful rejections. Varying degrees of interest in signing Morgan Rogers, Yan Diomande, Vinicius Junior and Bradley Barcola have all come to nothing.

The Gunners have been linked with Iliman Ndiaye, Nico Williams and Kenan Yildiz since Vinicius penned fresh terms at Real Madrid.

However, the latest from Chelsea reporter, Si Phillips, claims Arsenal could look across London to Stamford Bridge for their big-money signing out wide.

Phillips claimed Arsenal have genuine interest in signing Portugal international, Pedro Neto.

What’s more, the reporter claimed Chelsea would sell for the right price, which is a sum in the £70m-£75m range.

READ NEXT: Pre-season Premier League Moods in a chaotic summer where not even Arsenal seem happy

Arsenal interested in signing Pedro Neto

“I mentioned Neto a moment ago. Neto, obviously, has been playing since he arrived on the tour,” began Phillips.

“He has got a lot of clubs interested in him, and he’s, again, he’s not a player who’s looking to leave necessarily, but he’s certainly been open to the interest coming in for him and seeing what offers he gets.

“Chelsea would sell him if the money’s right. I believe similar sort of money that they are asking for Malo Gusto, which is reportedly around £70-£75m.

“I don’t think Neto’s quite that much, but it will be around that sort of ballpark figure. So, they would definitely sell if a club pays the money.

“I wouldn’t say he’s on the sort of fire sale or fire loan list that Chelsea are going to be working through the next three years, but he’s certainly a player they would sell, and it’s one to watch.

“And he’s got interest from Tottenham, Liverpool are interested in him, Manchester City, which has been public,

“I have heard from a source over the weekend that Arsenal are also interested in Neto.

“I don’t believe it’s anything like they are prioritising or anything like that, but they are definitely a club who are showing interest in Neto as well, and Neto is appealed by all this interest coming in.”

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Arsenal can wreck Tottenham transfer plans

As mentioned, Man City’s interest in Neto is on record, and Enzo Maresca’s side have already established contact with the player’s camp and agents.

City plan to sign a new winger before giving Savinho the green light to complete his long-anticipated transfer to Tottenham. City won’t approve that move until a new wide man has been banked, or at the very least lined up.

As such, Arsenal have the chance not only to sign a proven Premier League winger in Neto, but also to prevent the Portuguese from joining a title rival in City, which in turn, would prevent City from selling Savinho to bitter rivals Spurs.

The elephant in the room in this story, of course, is that Neto is left-footed and plays primarily on the right side, where Bukayo Saka plays.

Arsenal’s ideal aim is to sign a right-footed left winger, as evidenced by their interest in Rogers and Vinicius etc.

Manchester United fans can start to get excited about the arrival of Tynan Thompson, as a Tottenham Hotspur analyst has questioned why the north London club let him go.

Thompson is an 18-year-old left winger who began training with Tottenham’s first team in 2025 after making waves in their academy setup. The teenager loves to cut inside from the left flank and shoot on his stronger right foot.

However, United In Focus note that his ability to play with either foot left a big impression on Man Utd scouts, making him a ‘nightmare to defend against’.

Thompson was in deadly form last season, putting up 22 goals and 12 assists in 55 matches for Spurs’ U18s team.

He is also a part of the England youth setup, having played seven times for their U18s outfit.

Thompson reportedly rejected a contract offer from Spurs in January, expressing a desire to relocate with his family.

READ: What would have happened if Jose Mourinho took over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United?

On July 20, he joined Man Utd for £4million plus £4m in potential add-ons. Spurs have included a 15 per cent sell-on clause in the deal.

Spurs youth expert John Wenham has appeared on the Last Word On Spurs podcast to discuss Thompson’s exit.

“Tynan Thompson wasn’t given a look in at all, he was scoring every week for the U21s,” Wenham said. “Spurs didn’t have a left winger because of injuries and Mikey Moore was at Rangers, Tynan was just completely overlooked.”

When asked if there is a pathway from the academy to Spurs’ senior squad, Wenham replied: “Right now, you’d have to say no.”

If a desire to relocate was Thompson’s main reason for leaving, then there is little Spurs could have done.

But if the forward left in search of senior game time, and he goes on to reach his brilliant potential, then Spurs could end up regretting the fact they sold him.

Thompson is currently training with United U21s, but there is a chance he could play for Michael Carrick’s first team this season.

United have failed to sign a senior left winger this summer, instead deciding to bring Marcus Rashford back into the fold. Few could blame Carrick for wanting to take a closer look at Thompson, given his excellent record last term.

Manchester United will fail to bring Harry Kane to Old Trafford in the summer transfer window, with a report stating that he is set to sign a new contract with Bayern Munich.

Man Utd have long been interested in a deal for former Tottenham Hotspur striker Kane.

The Premier League club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is known to be an admirer of the England international striker.

Man Utd, who will play in the Champions League next season under manager Michael Carrick, are on the hunt for a new striker.

Benjamin Sesko is the number one striker at Man Utd, but the Slovenia international striker is injured at the moment.

The shin injury is not serious, though, and the 23-year-old is expected to be fit for duty in a matter of days.

READ: £30m left-back greenlights Man Utd transfer after Lewis Hall move blocked

Matheus Cunha and Joshua Zirkzee are the other two options to play as a number nine for Man Utd.

However, Cunha, who played for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, is not a natural striker.

Zirkzee is not a proper number nine either, and it is also unlikely that the Netherlands international will be at Old Trafford once the summer transfer window closes.

Kane has been on the books of Bayern since the summer of 2023 when he joined from Tottenham and is out of contract at the Bundesliga champions in 2027.

According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham have enquired about a potential deal to bring their former striker back to the club.

Barcelona have also made a move for the England international striker, while Man Utd, too, are willing to consider a deal for the 33-year-old.

However, Bayern are ready to offer Kane a three-year contract and are confident that the former Spurs star will agree to it.

Harry Kane not interested in Man Utd transfer

The report has stated: ‘Tottenham have also kept the door open to a sensational reunion.

‘The pull of a return to the club will always exist for Kane and Spurs have made it clear that bringing their record goalscorer back remains something they would like to explore, particularly with Roberto De Zerbi now in charge.

‘However, despite the interest from Barcelona and Tottenham and Manchester United’s willingness to consider a deal – with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe known to be an admirer – Kane has not been chasing a move.’

This is not the first time this summer that reliable transfer news outlet, TEAMtalk, has reported that Man Utd co-owner Ratcliffe wants to sign Kane.

TEAMtalk reported on July 12: ‘Manchester United also remain long-term admirers.

‘Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has consistently been a huge fan of Kane and TEAMtalk understands United would be prepared to finance a move should an opportunity ever arise.’

However, it seems that Ratcliffe is set for a blow in his quest to sign Kane for Man Utd.

Arsenal have lost another pre-season game, prompting another round of doom-and-gloom coverage about their season’s prospects.

A Mediawatch prediction from Friday comes to pass, sort of, while for the second week in a row Manchester United are set to complete seven transfers.

Everyone is going to completely lose their minds before the Premier League actually returns.

Not another one

A second pre-season defeat for Arsenal means a further descent into doom and gloom for Sun man Joshua Hall, who is taking these results so badly we really do worry about him if and when Arsenal lose a real game that exists.

Across two pieces in the wake of the Dortmund defeat he has allowed the misery to consume him.

Arsenal are just a week away from the start of their season, but they look a world away from being champions again.

There’s a clue here, isn’t there? That ‘just a week away’ when it is in fact two weeks until the start of their actual season. Stands to reason that someone getting this worked up about a team ‘a world away from being champions again’ (Pesky fact: clear favourites with the bookies to retain their title) after a couple of meaningless pre-season games thinks the season starts with the Community Shield.

The Gunners take on Man City, Coventry, Aston Villa and Chelsea in a tricky start to their title defence.

Just no. You cannot be counting the Community Shield in a ‘tricky start to their title defence’. It quite literally does not count.

Sunday afternoon’s 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates Stadium marked the first time since April 2023 that Arsenal conceded three or more goals in consecutive games.

And double no. You simply cannot be doing this kind of stat about pre-season kickabouts. For good or bad, absolutely no team anywhere is doing anything for the first time since anything if that anything involves real games of football that count.

Arsenal’s pre-season struggles are a warning sign for what might happen if their World Cup stars are not back sharpish.

With the obvious exceptions of injured duo Jurrien Timber and William Saliba – whose absences through injury are real and will obviously be felt – do you know who’ll be back sharpish for the matches that count? That’s right, Arsenal’s World Cup stars.

This summer’s World Cup did place an obvious strain on players who went the distance after busy domestic seasons, but Arsenal are not the only ones facing that challenge.

Arteta will know what he is seeing from his current crop is nowhere near the level that earned them their first league title in 22 years last term.

You know what else was nowhere near the level that earned them their first league title in 22 years last term? Their pre-season form last term, which – as we will keep saying – included defeats to Villarreal and actual Tottenham.

But we do understand it must be hard to retain a sense of perspective when your beloved club have ‘missed the chance to win their fifth consecutive Emirates Cup’.

Friendly fire

News of Arsenal’s despair is spreading having broken the confinement of one panicking Arsenal fan at The Sun.

You can kind of tell Ryan Taylor’s heart isn’t really in it for the Mirror, that he knows that pretending the sky is falling in after a literally meaningless 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund is very silly. But just as clearly you can tell he feels he has no choice, that the narrative has been decided and he can but go along with it.

His whole piece, which amounts to an extended yet plainly performative panic about Arsenal’s defensive woes based on two pre-season defeats, literally begins with the words ‘Don’t read too much into pre-season friendlies…’

That ship has, sadly, sailed.

Context is crucial because just over one year ago, the Gunners were stunned 3-2 at home by Villarreal in a similarly sketchy contest.

A very good point, but alas one whose undeniable crucialness is lost in all that follows.

Stripping the p*ss

If you read Friday’s Mediawatch you’ll know we earmarked the latest Daily Express poll destined to become a bullsh*t ‘news’ story.

If you didn’t read Friday’s Mediawatch then how dare you? Who the hell do you think you are? Unbelievable. Fine, we’ll fill you in.

The question posed was ‘Should the World Cup be stripped from Spain, Portugal and Morocco after migrant crisis?’

Now we’re not saying the Express were hoping to nudge their readers in a particular direction here, but putting the word ‘migrant’ right there in the headline question doesn’t feel like an accident.

Absolutely wonderful, then, that instead of the ‘FIFA told Spain, Portugal and Morocco must be stripped of 2030 World Cup’ headline we have to assume they hoped to run, the Express readers instead voted 57-43 in favour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco keeping the tournament.

Don’t worry, though. The Express might have been unable to publish the puffed-up, self-important, faux-news b*llocks they wanted to publish, they haven’t let that stop them publishing some puffed-up, self-important, faux-news b*llocks all the same.

Verdict on World Cup being stripped from Spain, Portugal and Morocco after migrant crisis

The absolute audacity of calling it a ‘verdict’.

The verdict on the 2030 World Cup hosts being stripped has been given.

Yes. Express readers have spoken and that is now the end of the matter.

Funnily enough, though, the Express are keen to highlight the 43 per cent who voted the other way as if the views of the losers in a binary vote still hold some weight and shouldn’t just be instantly dismissed out of hand. Bit out of character, that, but here we are.

There was still a sizeable 43 per cent chunk who wanted to see the decision made by FIFA, but the chances of that coming to fruition remain slim.

The chances of that ‘remain’ slim because it would be an absurd and unprecedented step for FIFA to take. The precise percentage of Daily Express readers who nevertheless think it a good wheeze has quite literally zero impact.

Mock the week

And sticking with both the Daily Express and last week’s themes, there’s this.

Man Utd can complete seven transfers this week after £120m spending spree

You’ll forgive Mediawatch for having its doubts after the Express promised a similar spree just last week. Although in the interests of fairness we must note that United did eventually manage to get Radek Vitek out the door on Saturday to give the Express a solid final score there of one out of seven.

Sure, they did also manage none out of eight for the transfers Tottenham were going to get done last week but you can’t have everything.

We learn from the Express’ Reach stablemates at football.london that Spurs are now set to complete a mere five transfers this week. Seems a risk given they didn’t get any of last week’s work done; surely if anything the number now needed to complete this week would have gone up not down? And yet…

Five transfers Tottenham can complete this week including £130m Premier League pair

Key takeaway: Lucas Bergvall can apparently now no longer be sold this week.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is determined to sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window, according to a reliable journalist.

With William Saliba facing an extended spell on the sidelines due to a back problem, Arsenal are on the hunt for a centre-back.

Arsenal and Tottenham are bitter North London rivals, but the Premier League champions are planning a raid on Spurs for Cristian Romero in what would be the most controversial deal of the summer transfer window.

Romero signed a new contract with Tottenham only last summer, but the Argentina international central defender has decided to leave now.

Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan are keen on Romero, and so are Arsenal.

Arsenal interest in Cristian Romero confirmed

On August 6, reliable Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, who has over 392,000 followers on X, revealed that Arsenal are keen on Romero.

READ: Tottenham insider reveals why Cristian Romero is ‘twerking’ for Arsenal

Pedulla wrote on his website: “We can add that in just a few minutes, direct contact has been established between Tottenham and Atletico Madrid to get to the heart of the matter.

“Atletico is moving forward, and an agreement with Cuti would not be a problem.

“It’s the same deal Inter reached last Friday (after previously reaching an agreement worth around €40 million for his transfer with Tottenham).

“We explained that it was a way to get ahead of the competition, but that the deal would be unlocked by a sale, a top priority.

“Pavard in particular offered to the entire world but without much appeal; furthermore, the Frenchman has so far rejected the few offers the Nerazzurri have received.

“And so, it was inevitable that competition would return: Atletico Madrid had started with a lower price for the player, and will have to reach at least the famous €40 million.

“Arsenal have also been pushing hard for Romero in recent days, but relations with Tottenham have been frosty for years.

“We’ll have to wait for the final steps, but right now, Atlético are leading the race for the Argentine central defender.”

Since then, multiple sources, including transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, have confirmed Arsenal’s interest in Romero.

Romano, though, has said that Tottenham have decided that they will not sell Romero to Arsenal.

Romano said on his YouTube channel on August 8: “Let me clarify one thing.

“My understanding, guys, is that Tottenham Hotspur, and when I say Tottenham Hotspur, it’s about the board, the management, the ownership, so the three most important parts of the club, have clearly decided not to sell Cuti Romero to Arsenal.

“So, despite all the links, all the rumours, all the stories, my understanding is that Tottenham will not entertain talks with Arsenal for Cuti Romero.

“Should this change, I will be here and let you know, but Tottenham don’t want to let the player go to Arsenal because of the rivalry they have with Arsenal, of course.

“And so, this is the position.

“So, I don’t think we should talk about Arsenal receiving bad news or something like that.

“It’s just that there could be conversations, there could be talks, but Tottenham don’t want to sell the player to Arsenal.

“This is the position as of today.

“Again, should that change, the market is crazy, I will be here and tell you.

“Atletico Madrid are in active talks with Tottenham.

“Atletico Madrid made an opening bid of €30million plus add-ons rejected.

“Atletico Madrid will return with a new bid closer to €40m, so Atletico Madrid will be back to the table, and Atletico believe they can sign Cuti Romero.

“Atletico are optimistic.”

Mikel Arteta wants Cristian Romero at Arsenal

However, Pedulla has insisted that Arsenal remain in the race for Romero, with Gunners manager Mikel Arteta personally keen on a 2026 summer deal for the Spurs star.

The Italian journalist has said that Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta could be able to convince Tottenham to sell them Romero if they make a better bid than Atletico.

Pedulla posted on X at 10:44pm on August 8: “Exclusive: #AtleticoMadrid has done everything it needed to for Cuti #Romero, with a salary over 6 million per season and 40 million to #Tottenham.

“The player must give a response.

“Meanwhile, #Arsenal can swoop in and steal the deal with a higher bid for the player’s card that could make Tottenham think twice despite nonexistent relations.

“Arteta insists.

“#Barcelona, deeply involved in the #Rodri saga, has announced a bid within 48 hours, even knowing it must stay within FFP limits. And Barcelona must always be considered until the Romero deal is closed.”

Fabrizio Romano has reported that Tottenham Hotspur owners ENIC have decided that they will not sell Cristian Romero to Arsenal in the summer transfer window.

Arsenal are looking for a new central defender and are interested in signing Romero.

Tottenham and Arsenal are bitter north London rivals, but the Premier League champions have still been in touch with the agents of Romero.

Romano said about Romero on his YouTube channel this week: “Arsenal spoke to the agents of Cuti Romero.

“Arsenal asked for information on Cuti Romero.

“What’s the point?

READ: Every Premier League club’s pre-season 2026 fixtures and results

“The relationship, Arsenal Tottenham is obviously a complicated relationship.

“Way easier for Tottenham to give the green light to Atletico Madrid.

“My understanding is that the clear favourites to sign Cuti Romero now are Atletico Madrid.

“The player is negotiating with them.

“Atletico Madrid are negotiating with Tottenham.

“So, Atletico are on it.

“Inter had an agreement with Tottenham for some time, but Inter, if they do not sell Benjamin Pavard, they can’t proceed, and also they still don’t have an agreement on the contract.

“So, this depends on the outgoings for Inter.

“Atletico Madrid are already in negotiations.

“Arsenal asked for information, but Tottenham don’t want to sell to Arsenal.

“So, the only way would be an historical green light from Tottenham to Arsenal.

“We’ll see what happens, but I expect Arsenal to pursue a centre-back.”

There have been reports that Romero wants to join Arsenal from Tottenham.

Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan are also keen on a 2026 summer deal for the Argentina international centre-back.

Tottenham will not sell Cristian Romero to Arsenal

Romano has now brought an update on Tottenham’s stance on selling Romero to Arsenal.

The Italian journalist has said that everyone at Spurs, including owners ENIC, has decided not to sell Romero to Arsenal.

Romano said on his YouTube channel on August 8: “Let me clarify one thing.

“My understanding, guys, is that Tottenham Hotspur, and when I say Tottenham Hotspur, it’s about the board, the management, the ownership, so the three most important parts of the club, have clearly decided not to sell Cuti Romero to Arsenal.

“So, despite all the links, all the rumours, all the stories, my understanding is that Tottenham will not entertain talks with Arsenal for Cuti Romero.

“Should this change, I will be here and let you know, but Tottenham don’t want to let the player go to Arsenal because of the rivalry they have with Arsenal, of course.

“And so, this is the position.

“So, I don’t think we should talk about Arsenal receiving bad news or something like that.

“It’s just that there could be conversations, there could be talks, but Tottenham don’t want to sell the player to Arsenal.

“This is the position as of today.

“Again, should that change, the market is crazy, I will be here and tell you.

“Atletico Madrid are in active talks with Tottenham.

“Atletico Madrid made an opening bid of €30million plus add-ons rejected.

“Atletico Madrid will return with a new bid closer to €40m, so Atletico Madrid will be back to the table, and Atletico believe they can sign Cuti Romero.

“Atletico are optimistic.”

Tottenham Hotspur central defender Cristian Romero wants to join Arsenal because of the presence of Gabriel Heinze at the Emirates Stadium, according to a source.

Heinze is a first-team coach at Arsenal, who won the Premier League title and reached the final of the Champions League last season.

The 48-year-old former Manchester United and Real Madrid defender was appointed in the role at the Gunners in the summer of 2025.

Both Romero and Heinze are from Argentina and have a good relationship with each other, and, according to Tottenham insider Paul O’Keefe, the presence of the latter at Arsenal is why the Spurs defender wants to cross the North London divide.

However, according to O’Keefe, Tottenham will not sell Romero to Arsenal.

Cristian Romero wants Arsenal move because of Gabriel Heinze

O’Keefe posted on X at 1:57pm on August 8 while responding to a Spurs fan: “Sounds like you’re at the denial stage.

READ: Every Premier League club’s pre-season 2026 fixtures and results

“He won’t go there because Spurs won’t entertain it but he’s been twerking for them to join in the race due to his relationship with the Arsenal assistant coach.”

Regarding Spurs selling Romero to the Gunners, O’Keefe said: “Absolutely no chance Spurs deal with them so no.”

When further pressed on whether Tottenham would sell Romero to their bitter north London rivals for the right price, O’Keefe said: “Not a chance.

“Plus Arsenal wouldn’t pay massively over the odds anyway.”

The Tottenham insider, who has almost 180,000 followers on X, added: “Spurs won’t allow it but all initiated by his camp.”

READ NEXT: Arsenal make decision on signing Bradley Barcola for £128m after Liverpool target reaches out

The Sun has also reported that Romero is open to the prospect of leaving Tottenham for Arsenal.

However, Tottenham will absolutely not sell the 28-year-old Argentina international central defender to Arsenal.

The report has stated: ‘Cristian Romero wants to sign for Arsenal – but Tottenham have NO intention of selling to their bitter rivals.’

The Sun has claimed that ‘a high-level source at Spurs’ has said ‘that they would not entertain the prospect of selling a player to the Gunners.’

Atletico Madrid are the most likely destination for Romero.

There is interest in Romero from Inter Milan, too, but, according to TEAMtalk, it is Atletico who are in the lead for his signature.

The reliable transfer news outlet has claimed that although Inter are willing to pay £38million for Romero and satisfy Tottenham’s demands, the Serie A champions are unable to agree personal terms with the defender.

Atletico have already agreed personal terms with Romero and have a four-year contract for him ready.

Tottenham Hotspur star Cristian Romero is reportedly ‘very open’ to joining Arsenal following the signing of Bruno Guimaraes.

On Saturday afternoon, Arsenal formally announced the signing of Guimaraes, who has become their fourth summer arrival after Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis.

Guimaraes, who was in the final two years of his contract at Newcastle, has finally joined Arsenal for around £75m following a long negotiation with their Premier League rivals.

Ahead of this summer, Arsenal made it a priority to sign a new midfielder, and they turned to Guimaraes after Sandro Tonali proved too costly.

READ: Arteta is lucky, not clever. But Arsenal will still be champions again…

On signing Guimaraes, Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta said: “We are delighted to welcome Bruno Guimaraes to our club.

“Bruno is a player with a great mentality and great quality, who will bring strong leadership to our squad.

“With Bruno joining us, we are further strengthening the heart of our team. As we have all seen, Bruno can play as a defensive midfielder and as a box-to-box player. He combines quality with quantity, and has provided goals and assists for his team every year.

“Bruno will allow Mikel to further develop our playing style and will also increase our internal competitiveness, which is essential for maintaining the standards required when we are aiming to win major trophies.”

Cristian Romero keen on joining Arsenal from arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal will not stop here because it has been widely reported that they also want to bring in a winger and a centre-back before this transfer window closes.

Arsenal are back to the drawing board for an alternative forward after missing out on Vinicius Junior and Morgan Rogers, while they are also in the market for a centre-back to fill the void left by the injured William Saliba.

And in recent days, it has emerged that they are plotting a move for Tottenham defender Romero, who has also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Before Arsenal announced Guimaraes’ arrival, Gunners transfer reporter HandsofArsenal on X revealed that the midfielder’s arrival would be confirmed on Saturday, while he also shed light on Romero’s stance about joining the Premier League holders.

They said on X: ‘The expectation is for Arsenal to announce the signing of Bruno G today.

‘The player has already begun training at Sobha.

‘The club is still in the market to reinforce. Regardless of if we sign Romero, the player was / is VERY open to joining us.’

READ NEXT: Aston Villa response to Arsenal offer for Ezri Konsa revealed as squad resigned to £60m star leaving

However, Fabrizio Romano stated on Saturday morning that Romero is mainly in talks with Atletico Madrid.

“What’s the situation with Cuti Romero? Inter at the moment are far away. For Inter it’s a very complicated deal because of several reasons, also because Inter are not selling players and so at the moment they cannot proceed,” Romano said.

“Atletico Madrid are preparing a new official bid to Tottenham. They already sent a bid to Spurs and they are preparing a second proposal.

“But Atletico Madrid, at the moment, still don’t have any agreement closed with Cuti Romero. They are talking with Cuti Romero. They are talking with the agent, but still no agreement closed.

“So now, if Barcelona want to enter in the Cuti Romero race, they still have space. They still have the possibility.

“But this will depend on Barca. Now, Cuti Romero is in negotiations with Atletico Madrid as a priority. So this one will depend on Barca, whether they want to enter or not.”

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur are ‘now close’ to reaching a ‘full agreement’ to make Manchester City star their next summer signing.

Tottenham have already made a real statement in this summer’s transfer window, having invested around £230m to sign Sandro Tonali, Matheus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke.

These costly signings followed the free transfers of Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka, and they will take their summer spending closer to £300m if/when they sign Savinho.

Tottenham’s priority for the remainder of this transfer window is to improve their attack, with at least one winger and/or a striker expected to join.

Savinho and Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo are said to be Tottenham’s leading targets, but the Man City star looks the most likely to join the north London side.

READ: Fabrizio Romano reveals Tottenham stance on selling Cristian Romero to Arsenal

The Man City winger is a long-term Spurs target and he has been on their radar for over a year, though a deal is yet to be finalised because his current club are keen to secure a replacement before letting him leave.

Tottenham getting closer to signing Savinho

Man City also want around £60m for Savinho, but Fabrizio Romano reported this week that Tottenham have “very good chances” of signing him.

Romano said: “The priority, the number one, two, and three target remains Savinho, and I think at the end of the summer transfer window, Savinho has very, very good chances to join Tottenham.

“So I don’t expect any surprises here. Eventually, if the deal is not happening for Savinho, Pedro Neto could become an option for Tottenham Hospur. So that could be an interesting situation to follow.”

Now, Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Tottenham are ‘now close to sealing a full agreement’ with Man City for Savinho, with ‘advanced talks’ underway and ‘all parties confident of a deal being done’.

O’Rourke explained: “I think it’s getting there. It’s been ongoing for a number of weeks and months now.

“We know Tottenham’s interest is there, they’re long-term admirers of Savinho and Roberto De Zerbi has admitted they are looking to make further attacking signings in this window if possible.

“Savinho is a top target for them. Talks have been ongoing with Manchester City.

“The expectation is that this deal probably will get done before the close of the window with Savinho making the move to North London.”

Barcelona are stepping up their efforts to sign Manchester City star Rodri and are even considering a move for Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero.

That is according to Fabrizio Romano, who is talking up the possibility of a sensational double swoop for the Premier League stars.

Romero still has nearly three years left on his Tottenham contract but it seems that the Argentina international’s days at the north London team are numbered.

The 28-year-old has been linked with Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and even Spurs‘ bitter rivals Arsenal, with Diego Simeone’s team well set to secure his services.

Further north in England, Rodri is into the last year of his Man City deal and after Pep Guardiola’s summer departure, it seems another club legend could be heading to pastures new.

READ: Tottenham transfers: Spurs tipped to ‘agree deal for lesser fee’ as Liverpool ‘response’ over Gakpo revealed

Real Madrid looked to be leading the race for the Spanish World Cup winner but now, rivals Barcelona seem to have overtaken them in this transfer battle.

With Ronald Araujo seemingly set to join Liverpool on loan, that will save Barcelona a “big salary”, according to Romano.

And even though that will save them a reported £13.7m in wages, that still does not explain a possible £42m offer for Man City talisman Rodri.

Moreover, Romano adds that Hansi Flick’s side are even considering a move for Romero, who could also cost around £42m.

Romano said on his YouTube channel on Saturday, “Inter, at the moment, are far away. For Inter, it’s a very complicated deal, because of several reasons. Also, because Inter are not selling players, and so, at the moment, they cannot proceed.

“Atletico Madrid are preparing a new official bid to Tottenham. They already sent a bid to Spurs, and they are preparing a second proposal. But Atletico Madrid, at the moment, still don’t have any agreement closed with Romero.

“They are talking with Romero, they are talking with the agent, but still no agreement closed. So now, if Barcelona want to enter in the Cuti Romero race, they still have space.

“They still have the possibility. But this will depend on Barca. Now, Cuti Romero is in negotiations with Atletico Madrid as a priority, so this one will depend on Barca, whether they want to enter or not.”

Romano stated that Rodri to Barcelona remains a deal that is “expected to happen”, even though the final fee has not been agreed upon yet.

Barcelona will have to offload more players to balance the books but it seems that Rodri could be heading to the Liga champions. Romero, though, seems less likely.