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Tottenham’s messy feud with Nottingham Forest over the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White has taken more twists and turns, with crucial talks held and Forest’s latest transfer interests potentially hinting at defeat in the saga.

Gibbs-White returned to training this week following an extended break after the Euros. He has now held fresh talks with Forest officials, as the club attempts to regroup following Tottenham’s £60 million bid and the storm that followed.

According to the Daily Mail , these were “showdown” discussions between player and club. Forest were already left furious after Spurs triggered his release clause, and believe confidentiality was breached in the process. They’ve since accused the London side of making an illegal approach and escalated the row with legal advice.

They also report that Forest sent an “explosive” letter to both Tottenham and the Premier League, with a potential investigation still on the table.

Spurs have already signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham for £55 million, along with Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso on permanent deals. Gibbs-White is next on their list, and there’s no sign they’re stepping back.

Forest have warned Spurs against making further contact with the player, but despite the legal noise, their latest transfer link suggests the club may already be preparing for the inevitable.

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A fresh report in The Telegraph has linked Forest with a move for Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey, a long-time target and a stylistic fit for the number ten role.

Ramsey remains under contract at Villa Park until 2027 and ended last season on the treatment table, but Forest are said to be weighing up a serious move. If they press ahead, it will be viewed by many as a sign they no longer expect to keep hold of Gibbs-White.

Spurs, for their part, remain hopeful. Recent reports detail there’s still confidence in north London that Forest may delay the deal, but ultimately won’t be able to stop it. Behind the scenes, talks are expected to continue as Spurs try to bring the saga to a close.

Gibbs-White’s future has been uncertain for weeks, with Man City also previously linked, but Spurs were the first to make a formal approach. It’s understood the player has been considering a fresh challenge for some time.

The 24-year-old scored seven goals and registered eight assists in the Premier League last season. He remains under contract until 2027, but if Forest’s pursuit of Ramsey gathers pace, it could signal the beginning of the end.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insists there is “nothing at this stage” between Tottenham defender Cristian Romero and Atletico Madrid.

The north London club have completed five deals so far this summer with Luka Vuskovic joining from Hajduk Split, Kota Takai arriving from Kawasaki Front and Mohammed Kudus sealing a big-money deal from West Ham, while Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel have completed permanent moves after successful loan spells.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is currently the only player Tottenham have sold this summer with the Denmark international moving to Marseille, while Fraser Forster and Sergio Reguilon left on free transfers.

Tottenham are in a good position to hang onto some of its best players because of Champions League qualification, despite their horrific 17th-placed finish last season.

And they are also looking to continue to add some quality to improve Thomas Frank’s squad after the head coach joined from Brentford to succeed Ange Postecoglou.

Romero could have been one player departing this summer if Tottenham hadn’t qualified for the Champions League but Romano expects the Argentina international to stay despite reported interest from Atletico Madrid.

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Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Despite all the stories you’ve heard this summer, Cuti Romero is not going to Atletico Madrid.

“The appreciation is quite obvious, Romero is one of the best centre-backs in the world. But Atletico Madrid never sent an official proposal to Tottenham and also never sent any official proposal to the player in terms of personal terms.

“We heard many times ‘it was done’ with the player, ‘it was going to get done’ between the clubs… there is nothing at this stage between Romero and Atletico Madrid.

“I expect Romero probably this summer to stay at Tottenham unless something surprising happens.”

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Touching on the collapse of the Morgan Gibbs-White deal from Nottingham Forest, Romano added: “Forest have started working on legal action against Tottenham.

“They believe that the way they used to proceed with the release clause was not the correct way, that they were not authorised to speak to the player. They’re not happy at all.

“They spoke to the Premier League and now the Premier League will investigate into this story.

“But Tottenham maintain their position, they are convinced about their behaviour and want to proceed with the deal. They want to sign the player.

“Nottingham Forest are prepared to fight and so let’s see what will happen there. But for sure the Gibbs-White deal now has an issue to resolve between the two clubs.”

Very good chance we’re projecting a little bit here, but if there were a theme to this summer’s Premier League transfer business thus far it would be Okay, You’ve Had Your Fun.

Everyone enjoyed themselves, didn’t they, watching unlikely and less familiar teams compete for European spots? And everyone really enjoyed watching Tottenham and Manchester United be astonishing levels of sh*t for astonishing periods of time, right up until Spurs somehow unSpursed themselves at the best/worst possible moment.

But we get the impression now that it’s not just Spurs and United themselves spooked by last season’s ineptitude. Some of the other big clubs might have been hit by the realisation that this could happen to them if the Premier League’s middle-class weren’t brought to heel.

Let’s not pretend that the biggest clubs buying the best players from the other clubs in the league is a brand new phenomenon, but we’re not even at the middle of July yet and the heart has been ripped out of several of the upstarts who made last season so different.

And it’s the big clubs doing that ripping. Four of the traditional Big Six are currently Europe’s four biggest spenders this summer, and all of them have moved to take some of the best players from elsewhere.

Liverpool have Milos Kerkez. Chelsea have Joao Pedro. Tottenham have Mohammed Kudus, even if they have managed to Spurs their pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White up. Man City have got themselves a Rayat Ait-Nouri.

Arsenal will be very much in the top five once they and Sporting stop their absurd game of chicken and just get a deal done for Viktor Gyokeres as we all know they eventually will once everyone can agree a way to proceed that allows everyone to feel like they’ve won. They’ve also got themselves a Christian Norgaard to continue the theme anyway.

Man United sneak into the top 10 as well after signing Wolves lunatic Matheus Cunha, and again the only reason they’re not higher is because Sir Jim Ratcliffe hasn’t yet decided precisely which and how many unimportant disposable meatbags he needs to sack to scrape together enough coppers to get himself a Bryan Mbeumo.

Is it too early to officially Fear for Brentford? We really think it might not be. They must have known the day would come that Thomas Frank tried his luck at somewhere bigger and also probably stupider, and he will certainly be doing those things.

One of the most interesting things we thought we might learn next season was just how good Frank is, and that this would involve not just what he did at Spurs but what Brentford did in his absence. How much of Brentford’s success has been down to him personally? How able is he to replicate that in a very, very different environment?

But Brentford appear to be about to take on that challenge in even more extreme circumstances than anyone could have imagined. They approach the dizzying uncertainty of life without their inspirational manager – and several members of his backroom staff – also without Norgaard, who did so much to make them tick, as well as almost certainly Mbeumo and quite possibly Yoane Wissa.

And promoting a manager from within represents an admirable but enormous gamble. The desire for some continuity may be understandable, but when you don’t have continuity of players we do wonder how prudent a move that actually is.

The good news for Brentford is that they are far from alone. Wolves have lost Cunha and Ait-Nouri. Brighton have lost Pedro. Forest are about to lose Anthony Elanga and Gibbs-White. Bournemouth have lost Kerkez and Dean Huijsen – even Real Madrid are helping out their big-club mates – while Palace will surely be stripped of some combination of Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton and very likely the Europa League.

West Ham’s situation is slightly different, with the sanctioning of Kudus’ sale even to the worst possible place very likely a pretty smart, hard-headed decision to generate significant funds for their squad rebuild by offloading a player who doesn’t quite fit with the new manager’s plans. But it’s still another chastening reminder of how the land lies.

These clubs have all trod this path before and at least some of them will be absolutely fine and possibly even improve for smartly reinvesting that cash in new, cheaper players who go on to become the next big-money signings for the larger beasts.

Last season’s upsetting of the Premier League applecart came about in large part because the money sloshing around the Premier League is such that even the division’s proletariat now find themselves with spending power to outgun pretty much anyone outside the superclubs anywhere else.

But right now it’s an uncomfortable time for a lot of the Premier League’s middle-class as the old order seeks to re-establish itself at their enormous expense.

Spurs have been accused of ‘tapping up’ Morgan Gibbs-White, thus joining six other Premier League clubs who previously made ‘illegal approaches’.

Just as everything seemed to finally be coming up roses for Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest decided to throw a spanner into the works.

Spurs appeared to seal a stunning double deal worth around £115m for Mohammed Kudus and Gibbs-White inside 24 hours, but their move for the latter is currently ‘off’ as Forest have cut contact with their Premier League rivals and accused them of making an ‘illegal approach’ and ‘tapping up’ the England international.

The current regime at Forest is not known for being petty whatsoever, so there must be some legitimacy to their claims of wrongdoing on Tottenham’s end, though this is unlikely to completely end their hopes of landing Gibbs-White this summer.

Past examples of similar ‘tapping up’ offences lead us to presume that Gibbs-White to Spurs will eventually be back on and Forest’s complaint will purely delay the inevitable, but Thomas Frank and Daniel Levy at least face a nervy wait for a conclusion to this messy saga.

Thankfully for Spurs, there have been endless more examples of ‘illegal approaches’ over the years, with FC Barcelona, unsurprisingly, among the main culprits of bending regulations to get what they want.

But we have decided to focus on the Premier League and picked out six notable examples of clubs making ‘illegal approaches’ for signings before Spurs became the latest…

Arsenal and Mykhaylo Mudryk

“From my point of view, this is why everybody talked about Arsenal: it is because Arsenal contacted the player almost one and a half months before they contacted us.”

Since the infamous 2023 love triangle involving Arsenal and Chelsea as they vied for Mudryk, the January transfer window has never been as good, with this saga reaching peak bitchiness.

Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin was an outspoken side character during this dispute, accusing Arsenal of “contacting” Mudryk before receiving permission to do so.

As it turns out, Arsenal’s prolonged pursuit of Mudryk came to no avail anyway, with Chelsea performing a successful hijack to steal the winger from under their rival’s nose.

Still, all’s well that ends well for the Gunners; cheaper alternative Leandro Trossard’s output at the Emirates far outweighs what Mudryk has produced at Chelsea, which was bugger all before he recently got charged for doping.

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Aston Villa and James Beattie

Villa are on thin ice when it comes to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability regulations, with their issues compounded by that referee mistake contributing to their heartbreaking near-miss with Champions League qualification.

The Villans are currently spinning plates as they look to avoid a PSR breach and are yet to make a signing, with underhanded tactics potentially required to kickstart their summer business.

In 2004, they resorted to desperate measures as they were charged with ‘tapping up’ Beattie. Former boss David O’Leary had publicly claimed that the striker wanted to join the Villans after they had a bid rejected by Southampton.

O’Leary was not subtle at all with his comments: “All I can say is that I think there’s a player there who definitely wants to join us. He has an opportunity to join a few people, but I think he sees the way we play is good for strikers and that he will get a few goals.”

This did not end up working for Villa, as the 90-goal Premier League striker instead joined high-flying rivals Everton in 2005.

Chelsea and Ashley Cole

This transfer saga remains one of the most controversial – and protracted – in the sport’s history, with Chelsea’s dramatic move for Arsenal’s academy product taking over a year to finally go through.

As is the case with several football scandals, it started via a meeting at a hotel as Cole and then-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho (plus the player’s agent and club directors) were caught red-handed discussing a move to Stamford Bridge in January 2005; the talks were held without Arsenal being given prior warning. Tut tut.

Each party was subsequently fined, ranging from £75,000 to £300,000, while Cole’s agent – Jonathan Barnett – was given an 18-month suspension.

A month after these punishments were handed out, Cole gave his half-hearted commitment to Arsenal by penning a one-year contract, but the bad blood remained as each side eventually compromised on their initial demands to agree a £5m deal for the left-back, which saw William Gallas move in the other direction too.

From this bitter dispute to current Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta being obsessed with signing Chelsea players, it’s a funny old game…

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Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk

The 2024/25 Premier League champions are rightly credited as experts at wheeling and dealing, which has been further proven by their recent business and a genius £75m worst-case scenario.

However, FSG have not always acted with grace and decorum when dealing with other clubs, as they royally p*ssed off Southampton during the 2017 summer transfer window.

This came as Liverpool targeted Van Dijk, with a meeting in the particularly glamorous location of Blackpool used by Jurgen Klopp to entice the centre-back. All was going to plan until Southampton caught wind of what was going on.

Southampton passed their grievances to the Premier League, but decided against pursuing damages as an apology from Klopp calmed the situation before Van Dijk joined the Reds in a record deal only six months later.

Liverpool would have surely ended 2017 on Santa’s naughty list as they were also fined £100,000 and given a two-year ban from signing academy players at rival English clubs after sneakily attempting to lure a Stoke City youngster to Anfield.

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Man City and Juma Bah

The Cityzens give out the perception that they are guilt-free and have not been cheating their way to success, despite somehow still having around 130 alleged breaches of FFP rules looming over their heads.

City are adamant that nothing dodgy has gone on as they have achieved success and we may eventually learn whether they are telling the truth.

In the meantime, Man City have gone about business as usual and have overseen a significant squad overhaul since this year’s January window, which was brought forward by last season’s alarming downfall under Pep Guardiola.

City were January’s biggest spenders in Europe and former Real Valladolid centre-back Bah was one of their additions, though this deal went through after they were said to be “behind” the 19-year-old “breaking his contract”, forcing legal action to be “initiated”.

Nothing to see here, folks…

Newcastle United and Charles N’Zogbia

Former Newcastle, Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa winger N’Zogbia…now that’s what we call a Barclaysman.

N’Zogbia spent his whole senior career in the Premier League before retiring in 2016, but his arrival was far from rosy as French outfit Le Havre, who pulled a similar trick when trying to retain Manchester United-bound Paul Pogba, tried desperately to keep him.

Newcastle spotted N’Zogbia as a teenager and pushed for a free transfer after he impressed on trial, but their hopes of a simple transaction proved short-lived as Le Havre “blocked” the deal, because the Frenchman was “trapped” into a three-year deal with the structure of an educational contract.

Thankfully for Newcastle, FIFA ruled in their favour and the Premier League side only had to pay around £250,000 in compensation for N’Zogbia, who made 155 appearances for the club before moving elsewhere.

Tottenham have been handed a major transfer blow as their deal to sign Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White is ‘currently off’ over a legal matter, according to reports.

The north London club have completed five deals so far this summer with Luka Vuskovic joining from Hajduk Split, Kota Takai arriving from Kawasaki Front and Mohammed Kudus sealing a big-money deal from West Ham, while Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel have completed permanent moves after successful loan spells.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is currently the only player Tottenham have sold this summer with the Denmark international moving to Marseille, while Fraser Forster and Sergio Reguilon left on free transfers.

Tottenham are in a good position to hang onto some of its best players because of Champions League qualification, despite their horrific 17th-placed finish last season.

And they are also looking to continue to add some quality to improve Thomas Frank’s squad after the head coach joined from Brentford to succeed Ange Postecoglou.

A transfer for Gibbs-White was meant to be the next one through the door for Frank with Daily Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath revealing on Thursday that the Nottingham Forest star was due for a medical on Friday and complete a move to Tottenham.

READ: Stunning Spurs double swoop worth £115m among biggest steps down in transfer history

McGrath wrote on X: ‘Excl – Morgan Gibbs-White will have a Tottenham Hotspur medical tomorrow. Spurs will trigger MGW £60m release clause at #NFFC.’

But Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett dropped a bombshell on Friday afternoon with news that Gibbs-White’s deal to Spurs is ‘currently off’.

The journalist insists that Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest are now ‘consulting their lawyers over what they believe is an illegal approach’.

Dorsett wrote on X: ‘EXCL:I’m told #nffc consider deal to take Gibbs-White to #thfc is currently OFF – Forest consulting their lawyers over what they believe is an illegal approach. They never gave permission for talks and have cut all comms with Spurs. Unlikely they can block it, but def delayed.’

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That could be good news for Manchester City, if still interested, with former Tottenham, England and Newcastle winger Chris Waddle insisting that Gibbs-White would “make a difference” at the Etihad Stadium.

Waddle told online-casinos.com last month: “I think they’ll be looking everywhere. I think Man City are like that. They’ll be looking at all possibilities into what to do with the role that Kevin De Bruyne had. You’re probably looking at Morgan Gibbs-White, and probably at Eberechi Eze. They could definitely make a difference.

“But it won’t just be Gibbs-White. There’s three or four players out there right now, just in the Premier League, who they will run the rule over, but they will also have scouts out worldwide. They need someone who can play with the creativity of a No. 10, and there are plenty of those around.

“I don’t think there will be a lack of options, I think part of the decision will come down to who offers the best value.”

Brentford are facing a task to keep their two forward stars Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo with Tottenham and Man Utd circling.

While Mbuemo is being pursued by the Old Trafford side, former Brentford boss Thomas Frank is looking to bring Wissa to Tottenham as part of his summer rebuild.

Now, according to talkSPORT, Brentford are “braced” for a bid from the London club but any transfer could hinge on the future of Mbuemo.

Despite interest from Tottenham, Mbeumo has agreed terms with United with a £250,000-a-week contract and if he were to go, Brentford would be unlikely to allow Wissa to leave in the same window.

Tottenham though are not the only club in for Wissa with Nottingham Forest interested in the 28-year-old.

Forest made a £22m bid in January that was swiftly rejected but Sky Sports suggests their interest has continued into this summer.

Like Tottenham, they have yet to submit an official bid but are anticipated to do so in the near future.

As United’s talks stall with Mbeumo, it is Wissa that Brentford may have a harder time keeping hold of.

They signed the Congolese forward from Lorient in 2021 for £7.2m but his contract has just one year left to run, meaning the Bees must choose between the potential of losing him for free next year or selling him this summer.

Forest, meanwhile, would have no trouble facilitating a deal as they are set to receive £55m from Newcastle for Anthony Elanga.

As for Tottenham, they have already made three signings this summer, Mathys Tel on a permanent basis as well as Japanese defender Kota Takai and Mohammed Kudus.

Kudus said Frank’s arrival was key to his move.

“One of the most important parts of why I came here is the project and how the manager sees it, and to develop under him,” he said. “With the history of where he’s come from, I’ve seen the amount of talent he’s developed to become great players.

“It’s a big sign of why I wanted to work under him as well.

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“It feels great to be here, I’m very happy and can’t wait to start.

“I’m a very direct winger, strong, very good in taking players on and creating chances, so there is a lot of flair in my game.

“I like to entertain the fans as well. That’s what football is about – it’s putting a memory in the heads of the fans that they have when they go back home, and after the money they’ve spent to buy a ticket.

“I hope fans are going to really enjoy what I’m going to bring to the team here.”

Tottenham Hotspur are ‘confident’ of signing Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who reportedly has a release clause in his contract.

Gibbs-White was one of Forest’s standout performers as they finished seventh in the Premier League last season.

He scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in 34 top-flight appearances, and made his England debut in September.

David Ornstein reported for The Athletic on Thursday afternoon that Spurs have turned their attention to the Forest star after agreeing a deal to sign Mohammed Kudus from West Ham.

New head coach Thomas Frank is a ‘long-term admirer’ of the England international, who is high on the recruitment lists of several clubs.

Manchester City had previously shown interest in Gibbs-White but have since signed Rayan Cherki from Lyon and Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan.

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This could leave the north Londoners with a clear run at the 25-year-old, although Forest are reluctant to sell.

Earlier reports suggested that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side value Gibbs-White at around £100million.

However, the deal is now expected to be closer to £60m, with The Telegraph reporting that there is a release clause in his contract that has gone largely unnoticed.

According to Mike McGrath and John Percy, Spurs are ‘ready to trigger’ the £60m clause that was inserted into the midfielder’s contract when he joined Forest from Wolves in August 2022.

Spurs ‘don’t anticipate any issues’, with the club expected to activate the clause to avoid lengthy negotiations with Forest.

Wolves are also in line for a 10 per cent cut of any future sale, due to a sell-on clause included in the 2022 deal.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano reports that talks are ongoing between the two clubs, and Gibbs-White is ‘open to the move’.

Romano wrote on X: “After Kudus deal done, Tottenham have made formal approach to Nottingham Forest for Morgan Gibbs-White.

“Official club to club talks ongoing with opening bid expected soon, as @TheAthleticFC reported.

“Gibbs-White can be open to the move, up to the clubs now.”

BBC Sport adds that Spurs have ‘opened talks over a possible £60m move’ for Gibbs-White, while also holding interest in Brentford striker Yoane Wissa.

Their report claims: “Well-placed sources have told BBC Sport that a potential move to north London for the England international is set to accelerate in the coming days.”

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is reportedly a long-term admirer of a £100million-rated Premier League star, and wants to sign him after Manchester City left the table for him.

Spurs are doing their best to right the wrongs of last season. Though they won the Europa League, beating Manchester United, they also finished 17th in the Premier League.

But they’ve signed last season’s loanees Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel, as well as Croatian and Japanese defenders Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai.

What’s more, they have reportedly agreed to sign West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus, and are looking at another experienced Premier League player, in Morgan Gibbs-White.

That’s according to David Ornstein, who writes in The Athletic that Spurs will now focus their attention on the Nottingham Forest midfielder, given new boss Frank is a ‘long-term admirer’ of his.

Gibbs-White is high on the recruitment lists of a number of clubs, per the report, but Tottenham hope they can convince him to join them if they can agree a deal with Forest.

The lure of Champions League football could be important in getting Gibbs-White through the door.

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What’s more, Man City are no longer in the mix for the midfielder, having ‘strongly considered’ earlier in the summer, before they instead opted to sign Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki.

That should give Spurs less of a challenge than it might have been. However, early in City’s pursuit of Gibbs-White, it was suggested that Forest valued their star at £100million.

With £55million leaving the account for Kudus, and over £50million already being shelled on other players, a fee in that region could be too much for Tottenham to pay.

As such, they’ll have to hope that Forest drop their demands, but with Anthony Elanga already leaving for £52million to Newcastle United, they don’t need the money, and will surely look to do all they can not to lose another star, with one already departing.

But the report suggests the prospect of losing more top players has not dissipated with Elanga moving on, so Forest fans will know there is a danger that Gibbs-White leaving could severely impact them.

They finished seventh in the Premier League last season, and for a long time looked likely to secure Champions League football.

That they don’t have that and Newcastle and Tottenham, who want to snare their big assets, do, they might find themselves in danger of big names wanting to leave for that chance.

Tottenham Hotspur could reportedly lose a key star to Real Madrid in the coming weeks as Xabi Alonso’s side are plotting a ‘blockbuster’ transfer.

This summer is vital for Spurs as they need to make several key signings after finishing 17th in the Premier League in 2024/25.

Under Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham were ravaged by injuries last season, but their displays in the Premier League were far from good enough as they slumped to an embarrassing new low.

Still, Tottenham’s run in the Europa League was a saving grace as they beat Manchester United in the final to claim a trophy, Champions League qualification and a huge cash injection.

This was not enough to save Postecoglou from the sack, but it has at least provided new boss Thomas Frank a decent platform to build on in the coming months.

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Spurs have already invested around £65m this summer to sit among this window’s biggest spenders in Europe, but they could lose a key player to La Liga as Cristian Romero is heavily linked with an exit.

Muscle issues marred Romero in 2024/25 as he struggled to remain fit consistently, but he remains one of the highest-rated centre-backs playing in Europe.

In recent weeks, Atletico Madrid have been mooted as his most likely next destination, with it even claimed that this proposed deal is already ‘close to completion’.

However, there are hurdles to overcome as Daniel Levy is ‘hesitant’ to let Romero leave and a ‘radical change’ is needed to force through a transfer.

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Real Madrid could also throw a spanner into the works following their elimination from the Club World Cup at the hands of PSG.

The Spanish giants were exposed by a far superior PSG outfit and a report from Fichajes claims Alonso has ‘demanded a new top midfielder’.

Fichajes also say they are ‘willing to pay’ 80 million euros (£69m) to sign Romero in a ‘blockbuster deal’.

The report adds:

‘It won’t be a simple operation. The defender has a valid contract, and the London club has no intention of letting him go easily. A figure close to €80 million is being discussed to begin formal talks. Atlético Madrid had also shown interest in the Argentine, although the emergence of their eternal rival in the race for his signature could radically change the situation.

‘Meanwhile, London hasn’t ruled out receiving an official offer in the coming weeks. Real Madrid continues to explore alternatives, but Cristian Romero remains a favourite among the club’s sporting directors.’

Tottenham are reportedly believed to be ‘best positioned’ to land a ‘revelation’ forward from the Club World Cup after weeks of ‘gathering positive reports’ before an offer.

This summer’s Club World Cup has unearthed some gems on the big stage. One of the shocks of the tournament has been the performance of Fluminense, who reached the semi-finals.

They beat Inter Milan 2-0 in the round of 16 and then overcame Al-Hilal 2-1 in the following game, before Chelsea stopped their progress in the semis.

One of their standout players, particularly in the early rounds, was Jhon Arias, who bagged a goal and an assist in Fluminense’s second game, and played the full 90 minutes in every single round, creating more chances than any other player in the tournament while doing so.

According to Fichajes, he has ‘attracted the interest’ of several Premier League clubs as a result of his performances in the Club World Cup.

The report names Arias as one of the tournament’s biggest ‘revelations’ and states Tottenham appear ‘best positioned’ to sign him.

The club’s directors have reportedly been ‘gathering positive reports’ about the Colombian ‘for weeks’ and everything indicates they are ‘preparing a financial proposal that could convince Fluminense and Arias himself’.

People close to Arias have reportedly ‘made no secret of their interest’ in making the leap to Europe. Talks between the clubs aren’t at the final stages, though a move ‘seems on track’ per the report.

It’s believed Fluminense will find it hard to keep hold of Arias, especially given interest from a top club like Tottenham.

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It’s also said Arias will command a fee of approximately €25million (£21.5m), though there is ‘still room for negotiation’.

In any case, the report suggests the Colombian winger is ‘closer than ever’ to landing at a high-profile league.

But there would surely be some reservations about signing a 27-year-old who has never played in Europe, and has never scored more than seven league goals in a season.

Generally, South American stars come to Europe when they are on the up, where they can be coached into a new style before fully embedding into one in their homeland.

Arias has played all of his football in South America, and could find it tough to adapt. That said, he had a good game against Inter Milan, so though he has not played for a European side, he’s found success against a very good one.