Football365

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The report claims:

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

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

Jan Paul van Hecke comments on transfer speculation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The report claims:

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

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

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

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

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

The report explains:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More like ‘Who?’-no Morais.

Guys?

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

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

A total waste of time for everyone involved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Might there be another Mourinho reunion on the cards?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The report adds:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The report claims:

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

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

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

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

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

Marcos Senesi to Tottenham

Potential victim: Luka Vuskovic

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

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

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

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

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

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

New midfielder to Arsenal

Potential victim: Myles Lewis-Skelly

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bernardo Silva to Barcelona

Potential victim: Fermin Lopez, Gavi, Marc Bernal

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid

Potential victim: Raul Asencio, Dean Huijsen

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

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

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

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

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

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

New keeper to Newcastle

Potential victim: The other new keeper

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

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

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

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

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

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

New right-back to Man City

Potential victim: Rico Lewis

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

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

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

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

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

New winger to Liverpool

Potential victim: Rio Ngumoha

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Tottenham values Porro at nearly 60M.”

Tottenham Hotspur will not sell Pedro Porro

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ivan Fresneda has also been scouted recently.”

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

“And here we have the link with Tottenham.

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

“Tottenham want Pedro Porro to stay.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Occasionally, a transfer link surfaces that makes no sense whatsoever, a nonsense for all parties involved. A classic of the genre is Manchester United moving for Cristian Romero.

It was claimed on Monday evening in Romero’s native Argentina that the Red Devils want to sign the Tottenham Hotspur captain and they were preparing to submit an offer.

Of course it is.

Firstly, United don’t need a central defender this summer.

Sure, they could improve their centre-back options. Among Harry Maguire, Matthijs De Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Leny Yoro, and Ayden Heaven, for reasons of fitness, age or experience, there is neither an individual nor a partnership that Michael Carrick can identify as the cornerstone of his team.

The United boss will be hoping that changes this season; that De Ligt recovers fully and promptly; that Martinez too can stay off the treatment table for long enough to make more than his average of 16 Premier League starts; that Yoro’s form more closely mirrors the potential he was bought for; and that Heaven continues the encouraging progress he has made during sporadic runs in the team.

Maguire is the most trustworthy of Carrick’s centre-backs but he is likely entering the final season of his United career.

All that said, perhaps United could use a centre-back after all. But not at the expense of their other priorities. Carrick ought to be able to mend and make do for another year with his current centre-back options.

But if he was looking to add another this summer, it would surely be one more reliable than Romero.

The Spurs skipper can be a very fine defender when him and his team aren’t suffering the consequences of his all-too-regular brain farts. Perhaps it is harsh to make Romero the face of Tottenham’s failures in recent seasons, but the captain certainly makes the poster. Assuming he hasn’t flown back to Argentina on the day of the shoot.

United already have too many defenders too often unavailable. Through injury and suspension, Romero has missed an average of 16 games a season through the five campaigns he has fought with Spurs.

The United of old might have been lured by the streaks of form Romero has strung together in the Premier League, but it seems the Red Devils have recovered a modicum of competence in the transfer market of late.

A factor in that is perhaps the ‘no-dickheads’ policy that United adopted at a time when they couldn’t move for them. Mercifully for Carrick, most have now been thrust through the exit door and there is now serenity about the dressing room at Old Trafford.

It can be a counterproductive policy because, very occasionally, a dickhead becomes available who might be worth the potential grief.

Does Romero fall into that category? Nope.

MORE: Man Utd in their post-d*ckhead era must ignore Scholes over Romero recommendation

In any case, why would Romero want to join United? If he is to leave Spurs – they are certainly trying to phase him out – then why would he want to stick around in a league where the referees have got his number?

Okay, aside from the Premier League money, why would Romero seek to stay where the perception of him would be so hard to shift? Recent links with Atletico Madrid are almost too perfect.

Perhaps the absence of intent from Atletico or anyone else at this early stage of the summer is what has prompted the United links; we assume they were fed to the Argentinian media from the player’s camp in an effort to generate some noise. You can’t blame them; putting a player in the same story as United is the oldest tactic in the grubby agents’ handbook.

But it’s an old and tired trope. There are plenty of clubs Romero’s reps could have used to manufacture a more credible link; maybe try Chelsea next time.

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur are now ‘primed to sign’ a second Manchester City star in this summer’s transfer window.

Spurs have made a fast start to this summer’s transfer window, having already signed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers from Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth.

Man City winger Savinho could be their next addition, but it has now emerged that they are plotting a move for England international James Trafford.

Trafford returned to Man City in last summer’s transfer window, but he was only a bit-part player for Pep Guardiola’s side in the 2025/26 campaign as they also signed Gianluigi Donnarumma.

And with Trafford firmly behind Donnarumma in the pecking order at the Etihad, the 23-year-old is expected to pursue an exit this summer to play regularly elsewhere.

READ:Man Utd ‘prepare offer’ for Tottenham star as they line up next transfer after Ederson

According to our colleagues at TEAMtalk, Spurs are ‘primed to sign’ Trafford as a £40m replacement for Guglielmo Vicario, who is also being heavily linked with an exit this summer.

Trafford is said to have been ‘told’ by Man City that he is ‘sellable this summer’ and they ‘will consider offers’ for him.

It is also stated that Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi ‘loves’ Trafford, who would take Antonin Kinsky’s place as his No.1 goalkeeper if they sign him from Man City.

Three rivals for James Trafford revealed with Savinho deal ‘advanced’

However, the same report claims Spurs face competition from three Premier League clubs for Trafford, with Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Leeds United also interested.

Regarding Savinho, a report from The Daily Mail has claimed that Spurs are now ‘advancing’ towards completing a deal for the winger for around £60m.

Fabrizio Romano, meanwhile, has provided more details on this transfer in a recent update, claiming Savinho was “ready” to join Spurs “one year ago”.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Savinho was ready to go to Tottenham one year ago. Then if Man City tell you you have to stay, Pep Guardiola is trusting you, obviously Savinho was more than happy to stay and to continue and to sign a new contract as he did in September.

“But Savinho was attracted by Tottenham one year ago and Savinho is again attracted by Tottenham today. So on player side, I don’t see big issues. I think Savinho Tottenham on player side can get done quite soon.

“Now it’s so Manchester City and Tottenham negotiating, discussing, talking about the transfer fee. So let’s be patient. Let’s see what happens there. But Tottenham are on it. Tottenham are working on the Savinho deal.”

Liverpool will fail in their quest to bring Jan Paul van Hecke to Anfield, with a report claiming that the Brighton and Hove Albion defender wants to move to Tottenham Hotspur and work with Roberto De Zerbi instead.

With Ibrahima Konate leaving and Virgil van Dijk ageing, Liverpool are on the hunt for a new defender in the summer transfer window.

While Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet will be part of Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola’s squad for next season, both are very young.

Liverpool ‘in contact’ with Jan Paul van Hecke

According to VI, Liverpool have been in contact with Jan Paul van Hecke, who is out of contract at Brighton and Hove Albion in 2027.

The report in the Dutch news outlet has reported that Liverpool have made ‘contact’ with the 26-year-old Netherlands international.

There is interest in Van Hecke from Chelsea and Newcastle United, too.

READ: Liverpool accelerating £164m double winger signing as two more exits gather pace

VI has noted: ‘Over the past few months, many Premier League clubs showed interest in Van Hecke.

‘Brighton’s absolute star player was in contact with Liverpool and was being monitored by Chelsea and Newcastle United.’

However, it is Tottenham Hotspur who have ‘pushed ahead in recent weeks’ and could end up signing Van Hecke.

Tottenham are planning a third bid for Van Hecke, who has agreed on personal terms with Spurs.

Van Hecke worked with current Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton and reportedly ‘became enthusiastic about the talks’ with the Italian manager.

Jan Paul van Hecke wants to join Tottenham Hotspur

‘Van Hecke himself has therefore made up his mind: it has to be Tottenham’, according to the report.

VI has added: ‘Although interest from other clubs has been mentioned in the British press in recent days, Van Hecke now only wants to go to Tottenham.

‘Consequently, the club is not giving up and is working to quickly bring the deal to the final stages.

‘As a result, Van Hecke can start the World Cup without distractions and is assured of a top transfer.’

Tottenham central defender Micky van de Ven is also pushing for Van Hecke to join him at Tottenham.

The Netherlands international said about his compatriot: “I did talk to Jan Paul briefly about Tottenham. I think it is a good step for him.”

Netherland manager Ronald Koeman has also given his take on the future of Van Hecke.

When asked about Van Hecke’s proposed move to Tottenham, Koeman said: “Ideally, I would prefer a player to have peace of mind regarding his club,” he said on Sunday. And that there is clarity about the future. But I cannot stop it.”