Football365

Arsenal are still ‘pushing hard’ to sign Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero amid interest from Atletico Madrid, according to reports.

The Gunners are looking to bring in quality over quantity in the summer transfer window after Mikel Arteta led the club to their first Premier League title in 22 years last season.

Arsenal have signed Illan Meslier from Leeds United on a free transfer and Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge for around £34m, while the Gunners made Piero Hincapie’s loan move into a permanent deal from Bayer Leverkusen.

Sporting director Andrea Berta and Arteta are closing in on the signing of Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes, while they also want a new winger.

In recent weeks a new centre-back has also jumped up their priority list after an injury to William Saliba and Tottenham star Romero – who is set to leave Spurs – has been linked to Arsenal.

And now Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla has revealed that Arsenal are ‘pushing hard’ to sign Romero from their north London rivals but Atletico Madrid are currently ‘leading’ the race.

READ:Arsenal told to replace £64m star after signing Bruno Guimaraes – ‘that’s the level’

Pedulla said 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.

READ: Arsenal make shock contact over £70m Premier League star as Vinicius Junior alternative

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

Arsenal target Romero has ‘agreed a contract’ with Atletico Madrid

TEAMtalk transfer insider Graeme Bailey has already reported that the Tottenham defender wants to join Atletico Madrid this summer.

Bailey said: ‘Inter had previously negotiated a deal with Tottenham worth up to £38million, but we understand the Serie A champions were unable to agree personal terms with Romero.

‘Atletico, however, have succeeded where Inter fell short as they push to hijack the deal.

‘Sources have confirmed Romero has agreed a contract on terms similar to those he currently earns at Tottenham, removing one of the biggest obstacles to completing the transfer.

‘The defender has long admired Simeone and views the opportunity to play under his fellow Argentine as the ideal next step in his career.’

Djed Spence has now informed Tottenham that he would like to leave the club to join Premier League rivals Liverpool, according to reports.

Spence impressed for England at the World Cup with the Tottenham full-back looking motivated and coming to the fore for the Three Lions in big moments.

Those performances have seen Spence linked with a potential move away from Spurs this summer with the ex-Nottingham Forest defender facing increased competition in the form of Andy Robertson next term.

As well as Robertson, Tottenham have brought in another five new players with Marcos Senesi, Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke and Martin Dubravka all joining.

With excitement building around the new season at Spurs, Roberto De Zerbi recently made it clear that Spence will be allowed to leave if that’s what he chooses to do.

When asked about rumours surrounding Spence and Lucas Bergvall’s future, De Zerbi replied: “What I say to you, is the same I said to Djed and to Lucas – ‘I would like you to stay’. Not ‘I want you to stay’. ‘I would like you to stay if you want to stay. If you don’t want to stay, if you want to leave, you have to leave’. If you want to leave, speak with Vinai [Venkatesham] and Johan, because I don’t manage the price, the sale.

READ: ‘Wow’ – Michael Owen advises Liverpool to walk away from signing Bradley Barcola for one reason

“I can speak with Vinai and Johan about the best strategy, but I don’t decide £30m, £40m, that’s not my position, and I don’t want to change my position. It’s tough enough to be a coach, and I want to stay as a coach.”

De Zerbi added: “I respected the player’s ideas and opinions or projects. But if they stay, they have to stay following my rules, decisions on the pitch.

“After two games, three games, if one player is not playing and he starts to be sad or not correct with the other players, the coaches, staff, the club, we would make a big, big mistake because we didn’t learn from the past season.”

A report on Thursday morning revealed interest from Liverpool in signing Spence with the England international apparently ‘extremely receptive to the idea’ of moving to Anfield.

Anfield Sector wrote on X: ‘Liverpool have an interest in Tottenham defender Djed Spence. Spence is said to be extremely receptive to the idea of a move to Liverpool. Andoni Iraola has defensive concerns around the current right-backs. Not the only name under consideration so no clarity whether progresses but definite interest even if downplayed.’

READMichael Owen ‘can see’ Tottenham signing ‘consistently poor’ Liverpool man

While Tottenham reporter szyexcl insists that Spurs want at least £35m to sell Spence and also revealed that Spence would be ‘very open’ to pursuing the move.

They claimed: ‘Understand liverpool hold an interest in Djed Spence. player would be very open to Liverpool if an offer arises. #thfc would seek at least £35M. W/@AnfieldSector.’

And now a well-known account on X, which is made up of ‘five elite reporters’ with over 700k followers, has claimed Spence has taken the step to tell Tottenham he wants to leave for Liverpool as talks between the clubs begin.

The account posted on X: ‘Exclusive. Djed Spence informs Spurs of his wish to leave and join @LFC. Liverpool are stepping up their pursuit and in club-to-club talks with @SpursOfficial.’

Former scout Bryan King reckons Tottneham would be “foolish” to allow Spence to go for anything under £50m after other reports placed his value at around £25m.

King told Football Insider: “I think he’s done well every time he’s played for England. They’d be foolish to let him go for £25m, that is for sure.

“You wouldn’t let him go for £25m. You wouldn’t even start thinking about letting him go for under £50m. We’re talking about a young, current England international. It’s a situation where Tottenham would be stupid to let him go.”

Tottenham are set to wrap up a deal to allow Mikey Moore to join Koln this summer, according to reports, while Spurs are warned about a move for Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo.

The north Londoners have already invested heavily this summer in new signings with ENIC moving fast to get six new faces through the door.

Tottenham are keen to avoid being in a relegation battle again next term and Spurs are doing everything they can to make sure they are in good shape ahead of the next season.

Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all joined Tottenham this summer on free transfers, while Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke arrived in deals worth £237m in total.

Tottenham are now concentrating on moving players out of the club, while they are also looking to bring in two or three more attacking players to complement what they already have.

One player who looks likely to head out the door in the coming days is young winger Moore, who spent last season on loan at Rangers, and German newspaper Bild claim that the 18-year-old’s move to Koln is now ‘close to completion’.

READ: £35m Tottenham star has now been ‘offered’ to Man Utd against De Zerbi’s wishes

Despite the Bundesliga outfit looking to include an option to buy the young Spurs star, Koln had to give up on its ‘transfer principles’ to agree a season-long loan without the possibility of a purchase.

The signing of Moore is seen as a ‘small coup’ for Koln and they reckon that Moore can have an immediate impact on their performances next season.

Tottenham are on a ‘fool’s errand’ by negotiating for Gakpo

Tottenham are looking to bring in another winger of their own as they continue to explore a deal for Liverpool’s Gakpo – but one source has told reliable journalist Ben Jacobs that it is currently a ‘fool’s errand’ for Spurs to continue to negotiate with the Reds for the Netherlands international.

Jacobs explained on talkSPORT: “Liverpool’s preference is to keep (hold of Gakpo), that won’t change unless they add one if not two attack-minded players.

“Then possibly towards the middle or the end of the window, maybe not today, tomorrow, but by the time we get into mid-August and beyond, if Liverpool get what they need in the market, Cody Gakpo’s position could change a little bit.

READ: Tottenham told unlikely route in which they could ‘push’ for title as ‘perfect’ striker identified

“But, for now, it’s been described to me by sources as a ‘fool’s errand’ to negotiate with Liverpool for Gakpo now because they’re going to reject everything until such a point where they know one if not two players are going to come in.

“With Bradley Barcola being the top target and interest also in Ibrahim Mbaye amongst other players as well.

“And my sense is two would need to come in for Liverpool to change their stance, but Tottenham are serious about Cody Gakpo and that would in addition, according to my information, to Savinho, who Spurs are also working on.

“But before that one unlocks, it’s less about the finances and it’s more about Man City lining up a replacement.”

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Tottenham have been told they’re an elite striker away from pushing for the Premier League title, as a former scout has told them one man would have been “perfect.”

Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League for the second season in a row last term. But this term, it’s expected they’re going to be nowhere close to that after some good recruitment.

They’ve spent nearly £230million, entirely transforming their defence and midfields, with the biggest snares those of Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

Signings in the attack would polish off a quality transfer window, and Roberto De Zerbi has revealed he wants a couple through the door.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Carlton Cole and presenter Adam Catterall have suggested that an elite striker stands between Tottenham and a push for the Premier League title.

Cole said: “They need a 20-goal-a-season striker. There’s not many in the world, is there?

“I think that they’d look at bringing Ivan Toney or try to get Harry Kane back. They’ll be flying if they bring him back.”

Catterall responded: “If Harry Kane came back into this Spurs side, I’d move them from top six to a top four with a serious push [for the title].”

Unfortunately for Spurs, Kane won’t be coming back – he and Bayern Munich want to continue their relationship after his 61-goal season, and a new contract is in the offing.

Cole added when asked if Tottenham have a striker who can give them 20 goals: “Richarlison, no. We’ve seen his body of work. But I still have hope for Solanke if he can stay fit. I like him as a player.

“He’s just never never fit, that’s the problem. If you can get a run of games and get that confidence I think you could be your man because they’ve got someone there that can put the ball in the back of the net. They’ve got [James] Maddison coming back as well.

“They’ve got players coming back from injury where they’re going to be looking up and with the recruitment as well if they’ve got it right. It’s been very very good.”

Toney was ‘perfect’ for Tottenham

Former Tottenham scout Bryan King, speaking to Football Insider, is not sure why the aforementioned Toney has never been signed at the club.

He said: “Are clubs looking for him? I said a couple of years ago, when he was unsure about his future at Brentford and he ran his contract down there, why the hell Spurs never went for him, I don’t know.

“He would have been perfect for Tottenham. He was certainly a raw centre-forward when he went to Brentford.

“Of course, he got tied up with this thing about, you know, the betting stuff and all that. Then he ended up in a World Cup squad after playing a season and a half in Saudi Arabia.”

Michael Owen “can see” the exit of a Liverpool man who was “consistently poor” last season and has been strongly linked with Tottenham in recent weeks.

The Reds are pushing firmly to improve their attack after the exit of Mohamed Salah, who’s landed at Trabzonspor. After nine years of superstardom at Anfield, Liverpool need to get the right man in the attack.

Bradley Barcola is heavily linked as the Reds’ favourite on the wing, and there have been some suggestions that they might first need to sell somebody.

Amid links between Tottenham and Cody Gakpo, that could be ideal.

Asked about the potential of Gakpo leaving amid Spurs interest, former Liverpool man Owen sees it as possible.

He told GOAL: “Well, he was consistent last year, but consistently poor. He had a good opening 10 games or something, but then for the rest of the season, he was pretty poor.

“Gakpo has already proven that he can be very effective in the Liverpool team. But it was a concern, his performances last season, although it was a concern a lot of their performances. It was a poor season.

“I don’t think that’s an impossible one. If they lose him, they’re already desperate for wide men. If they lose him, are you going into the season relying on Rio Ngumoha? If you’ve got a replacement, then I can see it.

“It could happen. At the moment, I think they’re looking at adding, I’m not sure they’re thinking of getting rid of too many players. His season last year was not very good. However, he has proven over time that he is very good. That’s an up in the air one.”

Gakpo talks ongoing

Initially, it was suggested that Liverpool would not get rid of Gakpo, but the stance now appears to be softening, partially tied to the pursuit of Barcola.

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano said: ‘Tottenham are in direct talks with Cody Gakpo’s camp over possible move this summer, after approaches revealed in July.

‘Deal depends on Liverpool decision; doors closed back in July but now could depend on financial package/Barcola pursuit.

‘#THFC are trying.’

And though Owen is somewhat wary of Liverpool having to rely on Ngumoha, it’s believed he might well be the starting left-winger this season, while Spain international Victor Munoz has also arrived at Anfield over the summer.

Reporter Ben Jacobs has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are ‘getting closer’ to striking an ‘agreement’ with star defender Micky van de Ven.

Spurs 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.

The north London side have also recruited Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka, while they remain in the market for more additions.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side are still to sign a new winger, with reports suggesting they are keen on Cody Gakpo and Savinho.

However, Tottenham’s best bit of business in this window could come via keeping Van de Ven, who is one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs.

READ: Djed Spence reaches decision on joining Liverpool as Tottenham set price for sale

Tottenham sorely missed Van de Ven while he was unavailable last season and he got his side out of trouble on numerous occasions when he was fit.

For a while, it felt inevitable that Van de Ven would leave Tottenham this summer, with Liverpool and Man Utd mentioned as possible destinations for the versatile defender.

Last month, a report from our colleagues at TEAMtalk claimed Van de Ven was previously leaning towards joining Liverpool over Man Utd, but he has now made a ‘significant U-turn’ on his future.

At the time, it was reported that Spurs were preparing to open talks with Van de Ven over a new contract after he previously ‘made it clear to Spurs earlier this year that he was not interested in discussing fresh terms and had been targeting a move away this summer’.

Micky van de Ven closing in on new contract ‘agreement’

The report explained:

‘Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Spurs believe the transformation under De Zerbi has significantly altered Van de Ven’s thinking.

‘Indeed, there has already been encouraging communication with the player’s representatives during the summer, prompting the club to prepare formal negotiations over a new deal. There is confidence internally that the Netherlands international can now be persuaded to remain in North London.’

Now, in a fresh update, Jacobs has revealed that the club are ‘getting closer’ to reaching an ‘agreement’ with Van de Ven.

Jacobs said on X: ‘Micky Van de Ven is in talks with Spurs to sign a new contract. Discussions have been positive. An agreement is getting closer, although nothing is done yet.’

Former Tottenham scout Mick Brown feels an attacking signing is “likely” and the “domino effect” of the deal could see Chelsea lose one of their best players.

Spurs moved onto attacking transfers in recent weeks after their £230million spend fixed defence and midfield. Roberto De Zerbi has stated there are more signings coming, with a “bomba” to come through the door.

The signing of Manchester City winger Savinho has looked possible all summer, and he’s even been open to joining since January, but there has been no formal conclusion to this point.

Indeed, our friends at TEAMtalk recently suggested Tottenham had given City an ultimatum, to make a decision on the winger’s sale on the weekend of August 1 and 2, or they’d move onto other targets.

But discussions still seem to be ongoing, and that’s relevant to City’s interest in Pedro Neto.

Indeed, there’s previously been a suggestion that Enzo Maresca wants to reunite with the Portuguese winger at the Etihad, and Fabrizio Romano recently revealed an approach for that transfer.

He said: “Manchester City made a formal approach today to Pedro Neto’s representatives to explore the possibility of bringing the Portuguese winger to the club.

“Enzo Maresca is a big factor in this deal because he knows Pedro Neto very well from their time together at Chelsea. He’s a player Maresca appreciates a lot.

“Manchester City are looking for a winger because there is a real possibility that Savinho leaves the club. Pedro Neto is considered an ideal opportunity and a player they rate very highly.

“This also depends on Chelsea’s valuation. Pedro Neto is not on Chelsea’s list of players for sale and remains part of Xabi Alonso’s plans.

“If Chelsea receive an important offer, then the situation could develop. Otherwise, he is not expected to leave.”

Savinho domino effect explained

Brown, who was formerly a scout at Tottenham, expects a deal for Savinho will be done at Tottenham, and the effects of that could be that Neto joins City.

He told Football Insider: “This is certainly going to be one to watch, because there’s a domino effect involved.

“I can definitely see Man City making a move to sign Pedro Neto, but it seems it will only happen if they can sell the Brazilian Savinho, and that’s where Tottenham come in.

“They’ve been working on that deal for a long time, he’s somebody they want to bring in, Man City seem to be open to the deal, and the player seems to be keen as well.

“So it seems likely that they will complete that move, and then it opens the door for Man City to go out and bring in another winger.

“Neto, in my opinion, has been one of Chelsea’s best players over the last couple of years, so in terms of Man City trying to find a new winger, they won’t need to look far.

“There are a lot of moving parts, but once that first deal is completed, I expect Man City will be stepping up their efforts to bring him in.”

According to reports, three Tottenham Hotspur stars are close to leaving, with Cristian Romero set to join Atletico Madrid instead of Inter Milan.

Tottenham have been incredibly busy in this summer’s transfer window, having invested around £230m to sign Sandro Tonali, Matheus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side have also signed Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka, but they remain in the market for further additions.

Tottenham’s focus for the remainder of this window will be to improve their attack, and they are expected to sign at least one winger and a new striker.

But Spurs have also been working on exits to balance the books, with Romero set to be one of their most notable departures this summer.

READ: Djed Spence reaches decision on joining Liverpool as Tottenham set price for sale

It has seemed inevitable for a while that the centre-back would leave Spurs in this window, and this has been made more likely by his current club signing Van Hecke and Senesi.

Initially, a move to Inter Milan looked most likely for Romero, but our colleagues at TEAMtalk are reporting that a ‘hijack is on’ for the defender to join Atletico Madrid instead.

According to the report, Romero has now ‘agreed terms’ with Atletico Madrid, who are in ‘pole position’ to secure his services.

The report explains:

‘Inter had previously negotiated a deal with Tottenham worth up to £38million, but we understand the Serie A champions were unable to agree personal terms with Romero.

‘Atletico, however, have succeeded where Inter fell short as they push to hijack the deal. Sources have confirmed Romero has agreed a contract on terms similar to those he currently earns at Tottenham, removing one of the biggest obstacles to completing the transfer.’

Ashley Phillips and Mikey Moore set to leave Tottenham

Young defender Ashley Phillips is also on the exit ramp, with The Northern Echo reporting that Championship side Middlesbrough have reached an ‘agreement’ with Spurs.

Regarding the terms of this deal, the report claims: ‘The Teessiders are paying an initial fee of £7m for Phillips, with a number of potential future add-ons also included as part of the deal. That is the same up-front price Boro paid to sign goalkeeper Radek Vitek from Manchester United earlier this week.

‘Spurs are understood to have included a sell-on clause in the deal that will take Phillips to the Riverside, with Boro officials hoping to complete the transfer in the next couple of days.’

Following this report, journalist Ben Jacobs has confirmed that Middlesbrough are ‘set to sign’ Phillips, who has been given ‘permission to undergo a medical’.

And Moore is another Spurs player who is about to leave, though his move to Bundesliga outfit FC Koln will be a loan.

Fabrizio Romano revealed on Wednesday that this deal is now ‘one step away’ from being completed.

According to reports, England international Djed Spence wants to join Liverpool, while Tottenham Hotspur have set their asking price.

So far this summer, Liverpool have only made two signings, having landed Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet.

With the Reds targeting PSG pair Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, they remain in the market for at least one new winger in the coming weeks.

But Andoni Iraola‘s side also need recruits in other positions, especially in defence.

For various reasons, Liverpool are currently without Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk, Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez, while they are also weak at full-back.

Therefore, Liverpool arguably need to sign a new full-back and centre-back before this transfer window closes, and Spence is reportedly among their targets.

READ: Ranking the Big Eight (that’s a thing) by banter season potential

Spence is in a strong position to earn a transfer after he shone for England at the World Cup, while he was one of Tottenham’s better players last season.

But with Pedro Porro and Andy Robertson likely to be Tottenham’s preferred full-backs next season, Spurs are likely to be open to his exit under the right conditions.

And Anfield Sector has revealed that the defender is ‘extremely receptive’ to joining Liverpool this summer.

They said on X: ‘Liverpool have an interest in Tottenham defender Djed Spence.

‘Spence is said to be extremely receptive to the idea of a move to Liverpool.

‘Andoni Iraola has defensive concerns around the current right-backs.

‘Not the only name under consideration so no clarity whether progresses but definite interest even if downplayed.’

Tottenham demand £35m for Liverpool target Djed Spence

In conjunction with this report, Tottenham reporter @szyexcl said on X that Spence’s current club want £35m for him this summer.

They explained: ‘Understand liverpool hold an interest in djed spence. player would be very open to liverpool if an offer arises. #thfc would seek at least £35M’.

However, former Premier League scout Bryan King claimed last month that the north London side would be “stupid” to sell Spence for anything less than £50m this summer.

King explained: “I think he’s done well every time he’s played for England. They’d be foolish to let him go for £25m, that is for sure.

“You wouldn’t let him go for £25m. You wouldn’t even start thinking about letting him go for under £50m.

“We’re talking about a young, current England international. It’s a situation where Tottenham would be stupid to let him go.”