Football365

Journalist Sam Tighe has reiterated that Zion Suzuki will be the new No.1 at Aston Villa, with options for Emi Martinez being assessed, and Villa looking at signing a £50million Tottenham man.

Villa have always wanted to keep Martinez no matter who came after him. In recent seasons, he’s had a lot of suitors, but has always remained at Villa Park.

Now, though, the club have confirmed the signing of Japan international Suzuki, and Tighe has reiterated claims he’s coming in to be the starter.

He said on Sky Sports (11:40, Wednesday, August 19) “Villa are bringing in Suzuki despite the fact that Martinez’s move to Juventus failed. He’s being brought in on the condition of being No.1.

“There was reporting that Suzuki’s move to PSG fell down for three reasons, one of which was he wasn’t particularly happy to be moved around on loan or not being given No.1 assurances.

“I think Suzuki has a very clear idea of what he’s going to be doing at Aston Villa.

“Villa need to find a solution for Emi Martinez. It doesn’t take a lot of money here, I think, to get him. The wages might be a problem. The real concern for Martinez and Villa is that I’m looking around for options and I’m struggling to find them.

“Juventus is off the table, could Atletico Madrid come back in? It’s possible but Jan Oblak is still there. They showed some interest last summer.

“Martinez didn’t want to go to Saudi last season, I don’t know if that changes this time around. Turkey’s always brought up but the big four in Turkey have all got goalkeepers.

“He’s not going to go there when Ederson plays for Fenerbahce, Besiktas have just signed Alexander Nubel, for example. I’m scratching around for options here, as the club will be.

“But looks like they’re pressing on with Suzuki regardless and they’re trying to take control of the situation and not be caught short if Emi Martinez decides that he wants to go.”

Villa want to sign Pape Sarr

Villa are continuing to look at new signings this summer, too, and it’s reported they’ve got Tottenham midfielder Pape Sarr in their sights.

Caught Offside states Spurs would consider selling Sarr if a suitable offer was received, amid enquiries about his availability.

Al-Ahli have enquired, while Villa and Brentford are keeping tabs on him.

The report states that though a £30million price tag has previously been floated, Tottenham now value Sarr closer to £50million, knowing they have significant negotiating power, as they don’t have to sell, and the Senegal international is contracted until 2030.

Tottenham insider John Wenham has detailed how Spurs have “basically swapped” Cristian Romero for an Atletico Madrid player in his exit.

The exit of Romero from Tottenham was always going to happen this summer. It looked after last season that the north London club was willing to let the Argentine go, as well as him wanting to exit.

There were links with a few clubs – Inter Milan and Atletico the main ones, and it’s the Spanish outfit who have landed Romero, in around a £34million move.

Spurs insider Wenham feels the Atletico deal is essentially a straight swap, after Tottenham signed Conor Gallagher from them in January, for £34.6million.

He told Tottenham News: “It was the easiest deal to do in football. We owe them £40million, or a high percentage of that from the Conor Gallagher transfer in the winter.

“It basically means we’ve swapped the two of them, we just won’t pay for Gallagher, and they will get Romero, and it’s basically a swap.”

Tottenham wanted Romero gone

Wenham has detailed why he feels Spurs wanted to see the back of Romero this summer.

He said: “Tottenham just wanted him out of the club.

“He had spoken against the ownership on two occasions, we’re starting afresh with this new ownership this summer, they don’t want any baggage from that previous era around, and they just wanted him out the door.

“Tottenham recruited in advance his replacement in Jan Paul van Hecke, who is incredibly similar in terms of his style of play, and is available more.

“We’re stronger in letting Romero go, people said at the start of the winter, we should be getting £60m, when the club actively want you out and replace you in advance, you’re left in a difficult position.

“We found someone willing to take his full salary, take him off our hands permanently. I think Tottenham will be pleased.”

Spurs now have a good corps of centre-backs in their ranks, with Van Hecke and Marcos Senesi joining Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso in the squad.

The likelihood is the two Dutchmen play a lot together, with Senesi surely in line for a lot of football after a good campaign with Bournemouth, which earned him a place in Argentina’s World Cup squad, where he came on at the back end of the final for his second appearance.

Tottenham have made an offer to sign Napoli star Stanislav Lobotka before the summer transfer deadline, according to reports.

Spurs survived relegation on the final day of last season as they beat Everton 1-0 to finish two points ahead of 18th-placed West Ham, who went down to the Championship.

The Tottenham hierarchy are now on a mission to make sure they don’t find themselves in a similar scenario this coming campaign in the Premier League.

Andy Robertson, Martin Dubravka and Marcos Senesi all signed on free transfers, while the additions of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke for £237m in total took the amount of signings to six so far.

Tottenham are mainly concentrating on improving in forward areas with Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo and Manchester City’s Savinho understood to be their two top winger targets in the final couple of weeks of the window.

There have been rumblings about potentially signing a new left-back too, while Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was linked with a potential move on Tuesday.

READ:Tottenham warned off ‘underwhelming’ striker club insider rates below Richarlison

But surprisingly Tottenham have now been linked to another midfielder with Italian outlet Il Mattino insisting that Spurs made an ‘offer’ in mid-August for Napoli star Lobotka, who has won two Serie A titles with the Italians.

Despite stepping forward for his signature, a deal seems unlikely for one of Napoli’s key players with the decision made by Lobotka to stay in the Italian top flight.

Tottenham have a ‘real opportunity’ this season – Carragher

Tottenham seem in a good place ahead of the new season under Roberto de Zerbi and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher reckons Spurs have a “real opportunity” to “make a real fist of it” this term.

Carragher said on The Overlap: “There’s a real opportunity for Spurs and Chelsea, without European football next season, to make a real fist of it. There are a lot of questions about Manchester United playing more European games.

READ: Romano drops huge Gakpo to Tottenham update after Liverpool ‘deal off’ claim

“Iraola coming in as well at Liverpool, and Unai Emery and Aston Villa losing a lot of their best players, [there] in the Champions League as well. So, there’s a real opportunity for Spurs and Chelsea to get into those Champions League positions this season.”

Reflecting on Tottenham’s summer transfer business so far, Carragher added: “Do you think the business that Tottenham have done and the money that they’ve spent – it was a little bit eye-opening, especially Tonali’s fee, you think, like £100 million.

“Do you think that comes from the power De Zerbi had and the hold he’s got on the club, in terms of – he wasn’t sure about coming in, they gave him a really big contract: if I stay, I want this, this, and this, or I’m going. It’s almost like they had to give him what he wants.”

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed a deal for Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo to Tottenham “is still absolutely on” despite rumours to the contrary.

Spurs acted extremely quickly in the summer transfer market as they brought in six early signings to give Roberto De Zerbi the best chance of success this season.

The Tottenham hierarchy are looking to avoid facing another relegation battle this coming campaign after surviving on the final day of last season.

Tottenham are currently stuck on six signings as bringing in new attacking players is giving them more of a headache as they hold out for their top targets.

Man City’s Savinho and Liverpool’s Gakpo seem to be their two top targets with the former linked over the last three transfer windows.

Journalist Alex Crook raised doubts over Tottenham’s move for Gakpo on Tuesday, he said: “I don’t think it will happen. Speaking to sources at Liverpool they think he’s had a good pre-season under Iraola, they think he’s a player that Iraola can get the best out of.

READ: Chelsea lead Spurs, Real Madrid as biggest spenders of the 2026 summer transfer window

“I think he probably would be open to the move, but at the moment that’s not one I expect to happen between now and deadline day.”

Gakpo to Tottenham “is still absolutely on” – Romano

However, Romano still insists the deal for Gakpo “is still absolutely on” with Liverpool set to sign two wingers, including Bradley Barcola, if Gakpo departs for Spurs.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “For Cody Gakpo, Tottenham remain in conversations. I know in the last 24, 48 hours, the rumours around the story are that the deal is not happening, the deal is off, the deal is not going through.

“But my understanding is that the negotiation for Cody Gakpo to Tottenham is still ongoing. Cody Gakpo is open to joining Tottenham and personal terms are not a problem.

“So the deal remains on. The deal remains underway and Cody Gakpo to Tottenham Hotspur is still absolutely on.

READ: Tottenham warned off ‘underwhelming’ striker club insider rates below Richarlison

“Then they need to reach a financial agreement, and that’s not a detail. Remember that if Gakpo is going to Tottenham, Liverpool will sign two wingers, top target Bradley Barcola plus one.

“So it’s still a long story in a short time because now there are less than two weeks of the summer transfer window. We’ll be following the situation. These days, anything can happen.

“But what I can guarantee at this time on Tuesday is that nothing has changed yet. There is no deal off. The conversation remains ongoing and we have to follow the situation to understand what’s going to happen.”

Tottenham insider John Wenham has warned the club that a striker they are targeting would be an “underwhelming” signing and he’s no better than Richarlison.

Spurs are continually being linked with attackers in the latter stages of the summer transfer window. Cody Gakpo, Savinho and Folarin Balogun appear high on the radar, if reports are to be believed.

Our friends at TEAMtalk have suggested the latter is open to a move to north London, with a Premier League return firmly on his radar.

But Tottenham insider Wenham is not enamoured with the potential signing.

He told Tottenham News: “I’m not overly convinced on Balogun.

“When those first reports came out from L’Equipe and the French media linking us with Balogun, the numbers in Ligue 1, which I don’t rate that highly as a division, were not that great.

“I know he’s got a couple in the Champions League as well, but it would be a bit of an underwhelming signing.

“That would be showing me that we’ve missed out on maybe the targets we had as the first and second-choice signings.

“I don’t know if I even rate Balogun above Richarlison, to be honest with you.”

€50m could be enough

But the aforementioned report from our friends over at TEAMtalk details how Spurs are the frontrunners for Balogun, suggesting they are indeed going to press on with their interest.

Their information is that a fee in the region of €50-60million (£43-51m) could be enough for Monaco to allow the USMNT man to depart.

There have been enquiries from other clubs, such as Galatasaray, and some in the Saudi Pro League, while Newcastle are also known admirers.

READ: Ex-Tottenham star’s coach feels they’ve sold future £100m player and Harry Kane heir for tiny price

However, with Balogun already having signalled his willingness to join Tottenham, it’s not hard to see why the north London club are the side to beat in the pursuit.

As for a comparison with Richarlison, last season, the Spurs striker bagged 12 goals and assisted five more in all competitions last season. Balogun scored 19 and assisted five, so the numbers aren’t massively dissimilar.

But Balogun also represented USA at the World Cup, scoring three goals and assisting once. He’s also four years younger than Richarlison, at 25, so should not have reached his prime yet and therefore could create a larger gap between himself and the Brazilian.

The chances of Cody Gakpo securing a move from Liverpool to Tottenham Hotspur have dropped following an important update from a transfer reporter, though the north London side remain locked in discussions for Manchester City’s Savinho.

Gakpo has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham in recent weeks. The transfer would help Liverpool to fund deals for Paris Saint-Germain winger duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, who could cost around £155million combined.

Our friends at TEAMtalk revealed on Saturday that Spurs have agreed personal terms with Gakpo. Their report added that the Dutch star has informed Liverpool of his desire to leave, with Spurs planning an opening offer worth £60m.

However, Alex Crook of talkSPORT has cast serious doubt over the prospective move.

He said (via Last Word on Spurs): “I don’t think it will happen. Speaking to sources at Liverpool they think he’s had a good pre-season under Iraola, they think he’s a player that Iraola can get the best out of.

“I think he probably would be open to the move, but at the moment that’s not one I expect to happen between now and deadline day.”

READ: Chelsea lead Spurs, Real Madrid as biggest spenders of the 2026 summer transfer window

Crook’s comments contradict an earlier report from CaughtOffside that claimed Gakpo and Curtis Jones’ Liverpool exits are ‘getting closer’.

Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi wants the club to sign both Gakpo and Savinho, though he may just have to settle for one of those players.

The Times state that Spurs remain in negotiations with City for Savinho, having failed to sign him last summer.

City are open to selling the Brazilian even though he penned a new contract with them in October.

The Daily Mail reported in July that Spurs were set to finalise Savinho’s capture at the second time of asking for £65m.

But The Times report that City are actually holding out for an even larger fee of £85m. This means Spurs will have to significantly improve their bid to reach an agreement.

Spurs have already signalled their big ambitions in the transfer market with record-breaking deals for Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, so they are likely to meet Savinho’s new £85m price tag, even if it is an inflated fee.

Spurs have already agreed personal terms with the 22-year-old.

The striker coach of a recent Tottenham exit feels he’ll soon be a £100million player, and could be the heir to Harry Kane, and he’s been sold for a fraction of that price.

Spurs have been on a big spending spree this summer. They’ve parted with around £230million, and with speculation remaining over the potential signings of Cody Gakpo and/or Savinho, there’s likely more to come.

Tottenham have made some space in the budget with a few sales, ranging in stature.

The big exits are those of Luka Vuskovic, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence, while youngsters such as Will Lanskhear and Alfie Devine have brought in smaller fees.

Lankshear, a striker, was sold to Middlesbrough for £10million, potentially rising to £20m, and has already scored three goals in two games for his new club.

Striker coach Scott Chickleday, who’s worked with the 21-year-old for the past couple of years, feels the former Tottenham striker has a huge ceiling.

He told Sky Sports: “Sometimes you come out of the session and you are like, this one is special. You just get that feeling.”

“It is his mentality. He wants to be the best. He wants to be the No 1 striker in England. And then obviously he wants to be the No 1 in the world too. And I really would not be surprised in two years’ time if he is Harry Kane’s replacement.

“I do not want to talk about moves at the minute because Middlesbrough will probably kill me. He has only been there five minutes. But I think he is two moves away from being a £100m striker if he keeps developing and doing well – and I think he will.”

Tottenham have matching rights for Lankshear

Having sold Lankshear for an initial £10million, Tottenham did not insert a buyback clause for the striker. After two games, that now looks like a mistake, as his value could indeed skyrocket.

They do, however, have matching rights for his next move. Essentially, Spurs are able to match whatever fee any other club wants to pay for the Englishman.

If he continues in his current vein of form and his value does begin to rise, that could see Tottenham paying more than they envisioned to bring him back.

But should he start to show shades of being the type of player Kane was for them, they’ll surely want to bring Lankshear back.

Our friends at TEAMtalk revealed at the time of his transfer to Middlesbrough that the youngster had made it clear he wanted regular first-team football, and so Tottenham allowed him to leave for a promotion-chasing Championship side.

But that was evidently with an eye on him returning down the line, with the sense that he could become a £100million player already felt around football.

A Premier League rival has had an offer knocked back for Tottenham striker Richarlison, per a Spurs account on X, and their manager insists “quite a few players” need to be added.

For a month or so, Spurs have been looking at adding to their attack. They remain in pursuit of Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo and Manchester City’s Savinho.

Should a new striker be signed, multiple reports have suggested one of the current Tottenham corps will be let go.

Richarlison was the better out of he and Dominic Solanke last season, but the latter was often injured, and there’s a sense his ceiling could be higher.

Tottenham account @szyexcl, with over 50,000 followers on X, reports Everton have had a bid rejected by Tottenham for Richarlison, who played 152 games for the Toffees between 2018-2022.

There is no suggestion what the value of that bid was, just that it’s below Spurs’ valuation.

However, it is said that the Brazilian striker would be open to a return to Everton.

Moyes wants more at Everton

The Toffees have so far signed five players this summer, in Brennan Johnson, Merlin Rohl, Tyrique George, Hayden Hackney and Christian Norgaard.

Manager David Moyes has detailed how they want more.

He told Sky Sports: “We’re still needing quite a few players to add to the squad. I’d like to do more if possible, we need to see how the remaining few weeks go.

“I’m pleased with the players we’ve brought in. You have to remember that two of them were already here last year, so we’ve just made them permanent. I think it will take Hayden a little bit of time to adapt from the Championship to the Premier League, which quite often it does with players coming from the Championship.

“Christian is very experienced and will help us replace Idrissa Gana [Gueye]. Unfortunately, he’s injured at the moment, and Brennan’s just come in off the back of a swap deal for Dwight [McNeil].

“We’re putting things together, but we certainly feel behind the scenes that we’ve got a long way to go and want to do an awful lot more.”

Asked which areas he’d like to recruit in, Moyes said: “I’m not going to tell you. But we’re well aware of what’s required and we’re working hard to try and make it happen.”

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are holding talks with the representatives of Man Utd transfer target Harry Kane over a summer transfer, according to reports.

Kane once again showed why he is one of the best strikers in world football over the past season with the former Tottenham striker winning his second Bundesliga title at Bayern Munich.

The 33-year-old scored 61 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Bavarians, while he also scored six times in seven matches at the World Cup for England, who reached the semi-finals.

His amazing form has once again alerted clubs around the world with Man Utd, Tottenham and clubs from Saudi Arabia being credited an interest.

Last week, our friends at TEAMtalk revealed that Man Utd and Tottenham were willing to make a move for Kane this summer but that the England international is not pursuing a move back to the Premier League.

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

READ: Arsenal face ‘remarkable’ title problem as Community Shield prize money revealed

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

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

And now TEAMtalk have claimed that Kane’s representatives have ‘held talks’ with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal with the England star entering the final 12 months of his deal at Bayern Munich.

The report adds: ‘Al-Hilal have presented their ambitious plans to Kane’s camp and are understood to be prepared to make one of the biggest offers ever made by a Saudi Pro League side for a striker.

‘However, despite the scale of the proposal, we understand that a move for Kane is unlikely to succeed at this stage.’

‘There is optimism to reach an agreement’ – Romano

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Bayern Munich are in negotiations with Kane over a new contract and that there is a feeling of “optimism” at this stage.

READ: Keys and Gray Unhinged: 10 most ridiculous quotes (‘If Donald Trump…’) from their podcast return

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “The conversation between Bayern Munich and Harry Kane’s camp over a new contract has already started behind the scenes. Remember that Kane is represented by his brother Charlie, who is taking care of these conversations, and my understanding is that Bayern have started the process.

“There are negotiations ongoing. There are discussions ongoing. There is optimism to reach an agreement for Kane to stay at the club, to extend his stay at the club. The current contract is expiring in 2027.

“They still have to discuss details of this new contract in terms of the length of the contract, in terms of the existence of an exit clause, for example. There was a clause to be activated in January, not in the summer, a specific clause in the previous contract and in the current contract of Kane at Bayern.

“So they have to discuss what to do with that clause. There were some kind of matching rights for Tottenham. We have to understand what’s going to happen there, if Bayern will maintain that kind of option or not. So there are several things to discuss in order to get the deal done, but the conversation is ongoing between Bayern and Kane. Now the player is back from holidays, and so the conversation can be easier and faster.”

Tottenham are looking to bring in Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after securing the departure of Guglielmo Vicario, according to reports.

The north Londoners have so far signed Andy Robertson (free, Liverpool), Marcos Senesi (free, Bournemouth), Jan Paul van Hecke (£52m, Brighton), Martin Dubravka (free, Burnley), Mateus Fernandes (£85m, West Ham) and Sandro Tonali (£92.5m, Newcastle United) as they look to give Roberto De Zerbi the tools to be a success this season.

Tottenham avoided relegation on the final day of the Premier League season last term and the Spurs board are doing everything they can to avoid the same situation this coming campaign.

As well as getting players in the door, Spurs are also looking to move several players on with Fabrizio Romano giving his ‘here we go’ confirmation to a move to Juventus on Monday.

Romano posted on X: ‘Juventus agree deal to sign Guglielmo Vicario from Tottenham, here we go! Spurs accept loan proposal with buy option clause – not mandatory. Vicario wanted the move and leaves #THFC today. New goalkeeper for Juventus.’

Another reliable journalist David Ornstein, also confirmed the Italian’s imminent departure, he wrote on X: ‘Tottenham Hotspur accept Juventus bid for Guglielmo Vicario. Proposal sent overnight; loan + option to buy 29yo #THFC goalkeeper next summer. All parties expect signing of Italy int’l by #Juve to go ahead after Martinez pursuit called off @TheAthleticFC.’

READ: Chelsea lead Spurs, Real Madrid as biggest spenders of the 2026 summer transfer window

And now Tottenham are looking to bring in a replacement, despite having Antonin Kinsky at the club, with Football Insider claiming that Spurs have ‘made a move’ for Aston Villa goalkeeper Martinez, whose deal to Juventus recently collapsed.

The report adds: ‘Roberto De Zerbi’s side are exploring a deal for the 33-year-old Argentina shot-stopper after agreeing to sell Guglielmo Vicario to Juventus.’

It is understood that Aston Villa are ‘open’ to allowing Martinez to join another club this summer, especially after sealing a deal to sign Zion Suzuki from Parma.

READ: Man City’s midfield, Man Utd’s defence, Tottenham’s attack: 10 gaping holes and concerns in PL squads

Football Insider insists that it is ‘believed that Suzuki will come straight in to the starting line-up in the 2026-27 campaign’ and Martinez ‘could now be set for a move across the Premier League’.

De Zerbi blocks Moore loan exit from Tottenham

Another player who could leave Tottenham in the summer transfer window is young winger Mikey Moore – who spent last season on loan at Rangers – and BILD Rhineland (via Sport Witness) have revealed that he is on the verge of another temporary move, this time to Cologne.

However, Tottenham head coach De Zerbi is said to be blocking the deal being finalised until Spurs bring in their own attacking reinforcements.

There is said to be no panic in Cologne with the season-long loan deal for Moore still expected to go through at a later date.