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Tottenham are reportedly looking to add three more players before the end of the transfer window, including Pedro Neto, and some ‘wiggle room’ in negotiating a fee could help them to land the Wolves man.

Spurs have so far made three signings this summer, prioritising the growth of their youth ranks. Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Min-hyeok Yang, all 18, have all been signed, likely with a view to becoming genuine first-team stars within the next few years.

Each have impressed in senior football at their previous clubs, so may not find it too challenging to break into the ranks of the north London side.

But Ange Postecoglou wants a more experienced player, with Wolves winger Neto one of his favoured targets, and Tottenham could manage to get him through the door for less than his face value.

Neto ‘wiggle room’ available

Indeed, according to GIVEMESPORT, though the winger has a £60million price tag, there could be some ‘wiggle room’ when negotiating the price and payment structure that could be put in place.

Tottenham might be able to get a slight discount, or they could simply ensure Wolves allow to a structure that means they do not have to pay an awful lot up front, making the snare easier.

It is also said that Spurs are eyeing three more transfers before the end of the window.

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Neto is clearly one of those, and Eberechi Eze could be another. The north London outfit’s interest in both men has recently been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.

The fresh report suggests that Eze’s price tag of above £60million, and the fact Tottenham know there is no chance of negotiation due to the fact that is because of a release clause, is a reason they are yet to commit to a deal.

But for Neto, the ability to change the terms makes them happier to attack.

If they were to get him, they’d be getting a creator with Premier League pedigree, which is one of their main aims, and will surely be helpful among the other transfers they have made, who may not immediately hit the ground running.

If Newcastle United have just experienced a difficult second season after Champions League qualification, and Aston Villa face the challenge of succeeding where they failed, then Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping that actually having two full pre-seasons under the same manager for a change might actually be beneficial.

Tottenham have not enjoyed that luxury since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure: Jose Mourinho replaced him three months into the 2019/20 season, had one full season in the job, and then was replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo. He, too, was dismissed in November, giving Antonio Conte only the summer of 2022 before going out under a cloud.

The initial signs under Postecoglou were extremely positive, with Spurs taking 26 of their first possible 30 Premier League points, and doing so in some style.

But then Pochettino put the curse on his former club, with his Chelsea side claiming a 4-1 win in November that made clear that for all their attacking ability, Spurs had a glass jaw. And not even normal glass, but the special sugar glass they use for Hollywood stunts and wrestling matches.

Spurs took just 40 points from their remaining 28 games, two fewer than Bournemouth and just two more than Everton.

That has, understandably, taken some of that initial gale out of Postecoglou’s sails, and he will have reached the end of last season grateful for the opportunity to get back onto the training pitch – and into the transfer market – to start putting right some of the issues that had been so ruthlessly exposed last season.

There is, perhaps, a touch of 2013/14 and 2014/15 rolled into one about Tottenham, with Harry Kane’s sale and the arrival of numerous new signings having a similarly wonky effect on their form as they faced after selling Gareth Bale to Real Madrid in 2013. Back then, Spurs messed about with Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood before appointing Pochettino in summer 2014; this time, there has been no repeat.

Poch, too, needed those two full summers to really get Spurs going; he, too, finished fifth in his first season in charge, with some embarrassing and heavy defeats along the way. But after that second pre-season, they achieved three straight top-three finishes – the best they had done in 26 years, and unmatched since.

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Any manager will tell you that the kind of structural issues Spurs faced last season can be next to impossible even for the best coaches to address during a season. Even without continental football or any kind of cup run, there simply isn’t enough time on the grass and in the video room to make sure those defensive transitions that follow broken-down attacks are on point – vital for any side, but especially for those playing his brand of high-octane attacking football.

That has been much more Tottenham’s issue than the often-cited difficulty in going on without their top scorer of the previous nine seasons.

Their signing of the dynamic and versatile Archie Gray to play either as a midfielder, full-back or a hybrid of the two is designed to help deal with that – albeit with the usual question marks around his ability to step up from the Championship.

More signings will be needed, with centre-back and, yes, OK, centre-forward looking like particular areas for improvement. But beyond that, the squad does not feel like it needs major surgery. If anything, theirs is a squad that could do with some pruning.

Get those right, and the gentle touch of drills, shape work and the integration of better-responsive habits off the ball could do the rest. We’re about to find out if Postecoglou really is the exciting genius he first appeared, or whether their later-season travails represent his true form.

Tottenham Hotspur may have been given a huge boost in their hopes of signing Juventus winger Federico Chiesa after his new boss cast doubt over his future.

Juve are said to be entertaining offers for Chiesa, 26, with his contract expiring next summer. There is no suggestion that he will sign a new one at the Allianz Stadium, so he may well be available at a cut-price deal.

Tottenham are just one of a number of clubs who have been linked with a move for the Italy star, who has suffered with injury and poor form over recent seasons. Since registering 16 goal contributions in the 2020-21 season before helping the Azzurri to win the European Championships, he has only managed 22 in the three years since, playing just 68 league games in that time.

Thiago Motta’s arrival as coach, replacing Max Allegri after helping Bologna qualify for the Champions League last season, has ushered in a new era in Turin. Motta has now commented directly on Chiesa’s situation and whether he will be part of things going forward. There were just two words uttered: “We’ll see.”

Reports in Italy suggest Motta will have no problem losing Chiesa, with the likes of Dusan Tadic, Filip Kostic and Arkadiuz Milik at his disposal in attack.

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Tottenham are yet to make any sort of concrete move for Chiesa, but manager Ange Postecoglou has bemoaned “misinformation” around transfer stories and remained tight-lipped on their prospects, while out on a pre-season tour in Japan.

“At this time of year it’s pretty hard for supporters because they don’t have all the information and it’s fair to say there’s plenty of misinformation out there,” he told reporters at a press conference.

“We’re working hard to bring players in and it’s a process that you sometimes have to be patient with. But in terms of what we set out to do, that’s still the plan and you have to stay disciplined with that. Sometimes the timings don’t work out and it doesn’t happen as quickly as you want and you don’t get them (players) in at the right time but I thnk it’s really important you stay disciplined and not run off and chase other things.

“So, what we started with at the start of summer are still there, and I wouldn’t want to put timelines on it. A lot of that is out of our control and we just need to be patient. From where I sit at the moment we’re still in that phase where what we identified is still what we’re after.”

Archie Gray, the teenager signed from Leeds for around £45m, remains Spurs’ only major signing so far.

Former Tottenham defender William Gallas insists that January signing Radu Dragusin is “not at the required level” to play for Spurs.

Spurs had a promising first campaign under Ange Postecoglou with Tottenham supporters much happier at the style of play under the former Celtic boss.

The signings of Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski, in particular, helped Postecoglou to guide Tottenham to a fifth-placed finish.

They will be hoping to improve again next season and Gallas insists they need a “Plan B” to help them challenge for the Premier League title, as they can’t play attractive football all the time.

Gallas told Gambling Zone: “I expect and want to see Tottenham playing attractive football, but they also need to bring something different. They need to develop a Plan B under Ange Postecoglou, because last season, for me, he only had Plan A.

“The team always plays with a high press, the defence plays with a very high line – it was a new way of playing that overawed a lot of their opponents, especially at the beginning of the season. Tottenham had an element of surprise last season that they won’t have this time.

“They can’t just rely on playing in one way all the time, they will need to adapt in certain games against certain opposition. They need to develop some tactical versatility.”

On what Tottenham need in the transfer market this summer, Gallas added: “I still think the club has an awful lot of work to do in the transfer market. They need one striker who can score 20 goals. Last season, they didn’t have that striker. Son, played a lot through the middle last season and he carried the goalscoring burden.

“In the end, he wasn’t capable of scoring 20 goals, and I actually prefer him in the wide areas, so Tottenham need to go out and find a 20 goal-a-season striker this summer. If you want to win the league, if you want to get into the Champions League, you need that player who can fire you there.

“You need at least one player who will score a minimum of 20 goals. That is simple. When you have a player like that, defenders can get distracted, and it creates room for your other attackers to hurt the opponent. It gives your attacking teammates more freedom.”

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Dragusin joined Tottenham for around £25m in the January transfer window to provide competition for Postecoglou’s preferred centre-back partnership of Cristian Romero and Van de Ven.

But Gallas still thinks they need one more centre-back this summer as Dragusin does not provide the quality of cover they need to challenge for the Premier League title.

Gallas continued: “They need one more good centre back in case Romero is injured or suspended. Over the last couple of seasons, I’ve been impressed with Romero’s efforts to improve his discipline.

“I really like Micky van de Ven – I think he’s a great player – but he had some injury problems last season. If you take one of those two out of the back four, Tottenham are in trouble. They struggled without them last season.

“They signed Radu Drăgușin in January. I’ve seen him play and let me tell you, he’s not at the required level to play for Tottenham if they want to compete with the best teams in the Premier League. Unfortunately, he’s not good enough. I’m sorry to say that, but it’s true.”

Premier League champions Man City have joined the race to sign Arsenal and Tottenham-linked Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, according to reports.

Eze starred for Crystal Palace last season and earned a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024, making three appearances off the bench in Germany.

The 26-year-old had a few injury setbacks but was still hugely influential for the Eagles in 2023/24, particularly following Oliver Glasner’s arrival in February.

He scored an impressive 11 goals in 27 Premier League appearances, with six of his strikes coming in 11 matches under Glasner.

Crystal Palace will likely not stand in Eze’s if he wants to leave, though they are going to want a significant fee for their star player, especially after losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich.

There is reportedly interest from Tottenham and Arsenal, with some reports claiming Eze has a £60million release clause in his Palace contract.

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However, the Mirror claim that Man City ‘have a long-standing admiration’ of the winger and Tottenham ‘would be powerless to prevent the player succumbing to the lure of the Etihad’.

It is stated that Eze’s release clause is worth £60m plus add-ons, meaning a transfer is likely to reach £68m in total.

City could accelerate their interest in the Palace talisman after Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad ‘dangled a lucrative contract in front of Kevin De Bruyne‘.

Should De Bruyne move on this summer, Pep Guardiola views Eze as an ideal replacement for a player who, in truth, will be impossible to replace.

Palace are not going to entertain any offers worth less than the 26-year-old’s release clause and a move to the champions could materialise as Guardiola is ‘particularly impressed by Eze’s low maintenance temperament and his versatility, as he can play in a number of positions’.

The report adds that De Bruyne ‘is expected to agree a deal with Al Ittihad’.

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Last month, the Belgian superstar – who is out of contract next year – admitted he would find it hard to turn down a big-money contract in the Middle East.

“I still have one year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen,” De Bruyne said. “My eldest is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play for City. Once the moment comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way.

“At my age you have to be open to everything. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.

“If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet. Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.”

Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus is attracting interest from Saudi Arabia as Al Ahly seek a replacement for Allan Saint-Maximin, according to reports.

Jesus, 27, joined Arsenal from Premier League rivals Manchester City for £45million in July 2022.

The four-time Premier League winner impressed in his debut season at the Emirates despite a serious knee injury sustained at the World Cup with Brazil, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists in 26 top-flight appearances.

Injuries once again hindered Jesus in 2023/24, starting only 17 league matches, scoring only four goals. Four goals in eight Champions League matches was a decent return, though.

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The form of Kai Havertz up front did not help the 27-year-old forward, who was not included in Brazil’s squad for this summer’s Copa America.

Arsenal are expected to sell several players this summer amidst interest in Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Aaron Ramsdale, Jakub Kiwior and Reiss Nelson.

Jesus, however, has not been linked with an exit…until now.

Gabriel Jesus to leave Arsenal amid Al Ahly interest?

According to reports in Saudi Arabia, both Tottenham’s Richarlison and Arsenal’s Jesus ‘have entered the list of options on the table for Al Ahly’.

It is claimed that one of the Brazilians will be signed to replace former Newcastle United winger Saint-Maximin, who recently joined Fenerbahce on a season-long loan.

The report states:

Brazilian striker Richarlison de Andrade and Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus have entered the list of options on the table for Al Ahly, sources told Al Riyadia.

According to the same sources, one of the duo will be a replacement for Frenchman Alain Maximin, who recently left for Fenerbahce on loan for one season.

German coach Matthias Jaisle assesses the feasibility of signing a player before giving his technical approval, and if he refuses, the western club will turn to signing a left winger, or spearhead, according to the sources.

Writing on Instagram in May, Richarlison shut down claims that he would move to Saudi Arabia this summer.

“I left my vacation and came to work to come back better ahead of next season,” he said.

“Regarding what’s been said in the media in the last few days, it’s fake news. I will NOT leave England ahead of next season.”

Richarlison has found it tough at Tottenham since his big-money move from Everton in July 2022.

In his debut campaign in north London, the 27-year-old only found the back of the net three times, with his first Premier League goal coming on matchday 34 against Liverpool. We all remember that goal, don’t we?

According to reports, Aston Villa are close to an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur over a cash-plus-player deal, while Unai Emery wants to sign Joao Felix.

The Portugal star had a spell in the Premier League with Chelsea during the 2022/23 campaign. He struggled to live up to expectations as he scored four goals in his 16 appearances.

Felix to Aston Villa?

Aston Villa, Arsenal and Manchester United were linked with Felix before he completed his move to Chelsea after he fell out with Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone.

The 24-year-old spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at FC Barcelona and his future is in doubt this summer as the Spanish giants are yet to make his move permanent.

Felix has been linked with a move back to Benfica in recent days, while Mikel Arteta has reportedly ‘ordered’ Arsenal to sign him.

But Felix could end up at Aston Villa as The Sun are reporting that they are ‘lining up’ a move to ‘replace’ Moussa Diaby, who is set to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad for around £60m.

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Aston Villa were reportedly unable to turn down Al-Ittihad’s bid, but they could soon turn their attention to signing Felix.

‘Unai Emery was not looking to move on the 11-cap star, but Villa could not turn down the huge offer.

‘Villa have re-signed Jaden Philogene, 22, from Hull for £12.6m but will target another forward.

‘Atletico Madrid exile Joao Felix is on manager Emery’s wishlist as the manager looks to bolster his attack.’

Ahead of their return to the Champions League, Aston Villa have been active in the transfer market as they have signed Philogene, Ross Barkley, Ian Maatsen, Cameron Archer, Enzo Barrenechea, Samuel Iling-Junior and Lewis Dobbin.

Villa are also understood to be closing in on signing Belgium international Amadou Onana from Premier League rivals Everton for around £50m, while they are in talks over a swap deal with Tottenham Hotspur involving Jacob Ramsey and Giovani Lo Celso.

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According to a report in Argentina, Lo Celso ‘will be a new Aston Villa player’ and he’s ‘expected for pre-season’, with the midfielder set to be included in a £20m cash-plus-player swap deal, which will see Jacob Ramsey head to Tottenham.

In an ideal world, Villa would presumably prefer to keep Ramsey, but his pure profit sale would be useful as the club look to make further additions to their squad in the coming weeks.

Tottenham are willing to offload Oliver Skipp in this transfer window, but the club won’t green-light his exit until they find a suitable replacement.

Skipp has spent his entire professional career at Tottenham and has been on the books at the club since 2008.

He’s racked up 106 appearances for Spurs in that time and also enjoyed a successful loan spell out with Norwich City in 2020-21.

While Ange Postecoglou did use Skipp in 24 matches last season, the 23-year-old only made five starts in the Premier League.

He’s firmly behind the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr in the pecking order and could be set to depart this summer.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham are willing to let Skipp leave this summer but they want to sign a fellow homegrown star as his replacement.

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The holding midfielder is still under contract with the club until 2027 which puts them in a decent position to negotiate his price tag.

Leeds United have been credited with interest in the 23-year-old, although a move elsewhere in the Premier League seems more likely for Skipp at this stage.

Premier League newcomers Leicester City have also been linked with the Tottenham star with the Foxes keen to improve their midfield after losing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

In terms of Spurs, they have already made two new signings this summer with the arrivals of Archie Gray from Leeds United and Lucas Bergvall from Djurgardens.

Man Utd’s Scott McTominay is someone who is reportedly on their watchlist, although the Red Devils are looking for a fee of £40m to sell the Scottish international this summer.

Tottenham have also been credited with interest in the likes of Eberechi Eze Pedro Neto and Conor Gallagher as Postecoglou looks to strengthen his side ahead of next season.

Tottenham are hoping to hijack Fulham’s potential deal for Scott McTominay as Man Utd look to raise £40m for his services, according to reports.

Spurs have already made two new signings this summer with arrivals of Archie Gray from Leeds United and Lucas Bergvall from Swedish side Djurgardens.

But they are far from done this summer as they look to build on a promising first season under Ange Postecoglou, which saw them finish fifth in the Premier League playing entertaining, attacking football.

And now Tottenham are looking to strengthen midfielder with The Sun claiming that the north London outfit are ‘looking to hijack’ Fulham’s deal to sign Man Utd midfielder McTominay.

Man Utd ‘want at least £40million before they even consider selling’ the Scotland international and Spurs ‘are now tracking’ the 27-year-old.

The Red Devils are expecting ‘further offers’ and may need to sell in order to ‘support a planned summer spending spree’ with Man Utd now looking for £40m ‘after demanding just £30m from suitors last year.’

The Sun adds:

‘Sources close to the Red Devils say that Erik Ten Hag is keen to keep the Scot.

‘But he is not regarded as a first-team starter, which may lead to him moving on to make the next step in his career.’

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Caught Offside (via Added Minutes) claims that Tottenham are also interested in landing another two Premier League players in the form of Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze and Wolves winger Pedro Neto.

The report claims:

‘Spurs are still very much among those interested in signing both players.

‘A combined swoop will not be come cheap, however, with claims that Neto and Eze together would cost somewhere in the region of £101 million. Should Tottenham fail in their pursuit, the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are all ‘waiting in the wings and following developments’, though as yet, none have made any formal approach for either player.’

Another midfielder that Tottenham have been linked with in the past is Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot and now transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has brought an update on the France international’s future.

Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “Since June, Rabiot was expected to leave Juventus and it’s now been confirmed.

“Juventus offered €7m net per season for Rabiot but he didn’t want to accept, he wanted to try something different. So Rabiot communicated to Juventus that he was not going to stay, and Juve already decided to move on.

“He has several possibilities around Europe and his mother Veronique spoke to 5/6 clubs in recent weeks, in several countries, and they’re keeping all the options open.

“I don’t want to mention all the clubs because it’s a really long list and some of them are not even concrete at the moment… it’s just talks.

“For sure, the dream of Adrien Rabiot is Premier League football, so that remains a possibility – to wait for a Premier League opportunity. Otherwise he has many offers, many opportunities on the table.

“Adrien Rabiot is a free agent and so is obviously a big possibility, a big opportunity and this is why many clubs are enquiring about the situation.

“But what I can guarantee to you today is that Adrien Rabiot is tempted by the Premier League. His dream is the Premier League. He believes that his skills are perfect for Premier League football.

“He’s a wonderful midfielder but also physical and that could be a crucial factor, so let’s see if he gets the proposal he wants.”

Tottenham are ready to bid for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer as Ange Postecoglou sets out a ‘minimum’ amount of signings, according to former CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs.

Spurs have already made two new signings this summer with arrivals of Archie Gray from Leeds United and Lucas Bergvall from Swedish side Djurgardens.

But they are far from done this summer as they look to build on a promising first season under Postecoglou, which saw them finish fifth in the Premier League playing entertaining, attacking football.

One player Tottenham have had on their radar for a while is Chelsea and England midfielder Gallagher, who has just returned from playing at Euro 2024 with the Three Lions.

There were claims last summer that Spurs were bidding for Gallagher towards the end of the transfer window but transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insisted that no bid arrived on deadline day for the Chelsea midfielder.

Romano wrote on X in September last year: “Understand Tottenham did not sent any formal bid for Conor Gallagher on Deadline Day. Interest was there but no £40m proposal despite reports. Talks were not advancing as Spurs were never really close to selling Hojbjerg to Atlético. Chelsea, happy to count on Conor.”

But now Jacobs has told GiveMeSport that a bid for Gallagher this summer from Tottenham is ‘still expected’ but that Spurs ‘haven’t moved yet’ because of his participation at Euro 2024.

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Chelsea ‘want in excess of £50m’ for the England international this summer with ‘Stamford Bridge sources point to the £55m the club received from Manchester United for Mason Mount 12 months ago as a fair valuation-yardstick’.

Jacobs adds:

‘Tottenham valued Gallagher at £35m at the same stage last year, and it’s understood they have no plans to go too far north of this. The £40m they paid to Leicester City for James Maddison last summer is a similar price they hope to land Gallagher for. The slightly increased fee is down to an appreciation that Gallagher has risen in value due to form.

‘Atletico Madrid are Spurs’ main rival as it stands and have already made a bid. The La Liga club saw a verbal offer of £20m plus bonuses rejected last month. Now that Saul Niguez has joined Sevilla, albeit only on an initial loan, Atletico are trying to add another midfielder and Gallagher is relatively high on their list of targets.’

Jacobs also revealed that Tottenham boss Postecoglou ‘is looking to bring in a minimum of three senior signings between now and the end of the window.’