Sport Witness

Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are in the picture to sign AFC Bournemouth’s Illia Zabarnyi.

That’s according to L’Equipe, and they discuss Tottenham and Newcastle when covering the latest on Paris Saint-Germain’s pursuit of the defender.

The treble winners agreed a five-year contract with Zabarnyi in May and were expecting to quickly reach an agreement with Bournemouth. That hasn’t happened so far, despite PSG’s latest attempt.

Bournemouth and Luis Enrique’s side are standing firm with their stance and the centre-back’s transfer has stalled over bonuses.

Last week, PSG were said to have sent their first written offer to the Cherries. That included €60m in fixed fee plus agreeing to cover the FIFA solidarity payment.

Bournemouth initially requested €70m and are now willing to lower their demands. They are open to accepting PSG’s offer if they were to include €3m bonuses, which PSG have refused so far.

L’Equipe state: ‘For several days now, everyone involved in the project has been experiencing an emotional roller coaster, thinking that everything would be resolved in a few hours, before becoming pessimistic.’

The Paris club are still expecting to acquire the Ukraine international’s signature in this window.

Zabarnyi, for his part, seems puzzled as how the operation can be dragged for so long. He continues to maintain his desire of joining PSG, while being aware that Tottenham and Newcastle are ‘pushing’ to sign him.

According to L’Equipe, both Tottenham and Newcastle are ‘ready to immediately meet’ Bournemouth’s demand if the 22-year-old is open to joining them.

The Premier League duo remain in the mix, but PSG are still ahead of them in the transfer race.

Luka Vušković is likely to go out on loan again next season, as Tottenham Hotspur try to get him the best development opportunities so he can make the most of his talent.

The 18-year-old is one of the most highly rated prospects in Croatian football, however, as a defender he needs to gradually add experience until Spurs believe he’s ready for a crack at the Premier League and all that brings.

Bild have a report on Hamburg SV interest in the Tottenham player and, just like German newspapers love to do, state there’s poker going on behind the scenes as the Bundesliga club make efforts to secure Vušković on loan.

Luka’s brother Mario is owned by HSV and Bild describe him a fan favourite, despite the 23-year-old currently serving a long doping ban.

Hamburg are said to be in talks with Vušković’s entourage, with him represented by Pini Zahavi’s agency.

Bild then go on to state: ‘HSV would love to sign the young Vušković. However, it’s also clear that Tottenham would have to cover a large portion of his salary.’

That obviously doesn’t sound a great deal for Spurs. Perhaps if it’s linked to appearances it could be considered. In recent years there’s been multiple loans which have started out low cost for the clubs taking the player, but had clauses which make those loans get more expensive if there’s a lack of minutes.

Bild don’t mention that, and it could be one way for HSV to try and work with Tottenham.

On July 23rd, AS reported Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to sign Rodrygo this summer. On Sunday, the same newspaper said Son Heung-min’s exit will make room for Tottenham, both in the squad and their wage bill, to sign the Real Madrid player.

The UK press were quick to dismiss these claims, while the Spanish media continue to report Spurs are keen.

This perhaps makes sense considering Tottenham will lose Son Heung-min and James Maddison suffered an injury at the weekend. The north London club need to focus on improving their attack before the window closes.

Marca now bring the latest on the Europa League winners’ efforts to try and sign the 24-year-old.

It’s claimed all parties accept the Brazil international is no longer a starter for Los Blancos and is unlikely to regain that status under Xabi Alonso. The exit door could be opened for him, but Real Madrid won’t sell for less than €70-80m.

Rodrygo was initially determined to stay, but Marca reports he now feels an exit may not be a bad option. This has alerted intermediaries, and they have already contacted Real Madrid to find out the conditions needed to sign him.

According to the newspaper, agents close to Tottenham ‘claim that the London club has already’ made an offer. The details aren’t mentioned, and Thomas Frank’s side are now awaiting Real Madrid’s response.

Marca mention Liverpool and Chelsea as two other contenders from the Premier League, with the Reds considering Rodrygo as an alternative to Newcastle United star Alexander Isak, even though the two play in different positions.

Tottenham Hotspur are said to have shown interest in Real Madrid’s Rodrygo this summer.

Last Tuesday, AS reported Spurs are ready to either meet Real Madrid’s €90m request or his €10m per year salary demand.

Heung-min Son has announced his decision to leave Tottenham and Sunday’s edition of AS reports Daniel Levy wants to replace him with Rodrygo.

The newspaper claims Thomas Frank’s side will be saving over €11m per year with the South Korean’s departure. This also leaves a void on the left side of Spurs’ attack.

Son’s exit allows them to make room, both financially and sporting wise, for Tottenham to bring in the Brazil international.

Spurs are said to have already contacted Real Madrid to seek permission to hold talks with the 24-year-old. He hasn’t requested to leave so far, but that could soon change after the recent developments.

Rodrygo had a limited role under Xabi Alonso at the Club World Cup. AS say this, coupled with Franco Mastantuono’s arrival and Gonzalo García’s emergence could further limit his role at Real Madrid this season. This would push him to seek a move in this window.

Levy and Tottenham need to put in extra effort to convince the South American to secure his services.

Bayern Munich’s João Palhinha is set to seal a move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Two days ago, Bild reported the midfielder underwent a medical in Munich ahead of his loan move to Spurs. They are also expected to cover his full salary during his temporary stay, which includes a purchase option.

On Saturday, Sport Bild stated Tottenham will be paying Palhinha €8m per year in wages instead of €16.5m reported elsewhere.

The Bundesliga winners had left out the 30-year-old from the squad for their friendly tie against Lyon yesterday. Sky Deutschland caught up with Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund to discuss the Portugal international’s absence.

According to the German champions’ official, the former Fulham man was released ahead of his impending exit. He hasn’t categorically mentioned the Europa League winners, but Sky do point them out and insists the move to the north London club can be closed soon.

“He’s released. If everything goes smoothly, it won’t take much longer,” he said.

Although earlier claims mentioned Palhinha completing the medical tests with Thomas Frank’s side, the director now hints that’s currently pending.

“There are medical checks and contract issues that still need to be resolved. If nothing comes up, it should be finalised soon,” Freund explained.

Tottenham will pay €5-6m including bonuses as loan fee to Bayern Munich and the buying option is set at €25m.

Jude Soonsup-Bell has agreed a contract termination with Spanish side Córdoba CF, after a miserable time since joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur.

Soonsup-Bell made eight appearances during his spell at Córdoba CF. The 21-year-old lacked opportunities during his time at the club, which led to the inevitable departure. Even a loan to Atlético Sanluqueño in the Primera Federación could not reignite the Tottenham youth prospect.

The contract termination is reported by a local newspaper Diario de Córdoba.

The language barrier between Soonsup-Bell and players and staff at the club negatively impacted the Englishmen’s communication and it’s from there that things quickly started to go downhill.

Following his arrival from Tottenham in August 2024, Soonsup-Bell was described as a “versatile attacker, capable of performing in all areas of attack. His speed, ability to break through, and goalscoring ability make him a valuable addition to the team” in a statement from Córdoba CF CEO, Antonio Fernández Monterrubio.

At the time it was reported the Spanish club had taken a purely data driven gamble on Soonsup-Bell. Without watching him in action for Tottenham, he’d come up when requirements were inputted and that’s entirely why Córdoba CF made a move in the first place.

It was acknowledged at the time that it was something of a gamble, and that gamble clearly hasn’t paid off.

In March, TuttoSport linked Nottingham Forest with a move for Inter Milan’s Davide Frattesi after talk of interest from Tottenham.

Under former manager Simone Inzaghi, the Italian midfielder was only a back-up in the Nerazzurri first-team, playing only 1210 minutes in Serie A last season.

That is expected to change under new manager Cristian Chivu.

TuttoSport, relayed by FCInterNews, report Inter have informed Frattesi that he will stay at the Nerazzurri this summer.

The midfielder has been deemed ‘unsellable’ by Chivu, despite initial enquiries from Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest, Marseille and Atletico Madrid.

While the player was interested in an exit under Inzaghi, he is now open to signing a new contract and talks have begun over a renewal.

The potential new deal will expire in the summer of 2030 and the 25-year-old will also get a pay rise, as Chivu sees him as an important part of his side.

The Italian international could have been a useful addition to Tottenham after they missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White, who has signed a new contract with Nottingham Forest.

Burnley defender Maxime Estève has extended his contract with the club amid interest from Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur.

That’s according to L’Equipe, who report that the centre-back has extended his deal at Burnley until 2030.

The newspaper reports that despite being courted by several English clubs, Estève has taken the decision to extend his deal with the Clarets. Burnley, for their part, have refused to sanction any departure this summer.

Faced with that denial and a refusal to accept approaches from various clubs, including Crystal Palace and Tottenham, the Montpellier defender has finally decided to accept a new deal at Turf Moor instead.

Tottenham had returned to try and get a deal done after also targeting him in the January transfer window. They and Crystal Palace have been rebuffed, though.

So Estève will instead be staying at Burnley as they attempt to stay in the Premier League this season.

The French defender was a regular for Scott Parker’s side in the Championship last season, and a key player in a defence that conceded just 16 goals across the campaign.

Tottenham’s Mathys Tel has revealed he spoke to Harry Kane about the move before making it this year.

Sky Germany have a brief interview with the forward today in which he discusses his move to Tottenham, feedback from Bayern Munich after his loan spell in January and his future in London.

The 20-year-old has completed a permanent move to Tottenham this summer in a €35m deal after spending the second half of last season on loan from Bayern.

That deal included a clause for Spurs to make it permanent, but they instead elected to negotiate with Bayern and strike a different deal for the Frenchman.

The two clubs have an excellent relationship after the negotiations for the loan in January and the deal in 2023 that took Harry Kane to Bavaria.

He, of course, knows more about Tottenham than most after spending most of his career at the club and scoring 280 goals in 435 games to establish himself as the club’s record goal scorer ahead of Jimmy Greaves.

And it seems he was willing to speak to Tel about the move, although the Frenchman hasn’t divulged what they spoke about.

“Yes, I spoke to him beforehand,” he said.

“He told me, if you need anything, send me a text, give me a call. I spoke to him; he’s a top guy. (Now it’s a) new challenge, I’m ready for my team, the clubs and also the fans.”

Flamengo have completed the signing of Emerson Royal from AC Milan, paying around €9m for the right-back.

The deal marks a significant drop in the player’s market value since his move from Tottenham Hotspur in 2021.

According to Globo Esporte, the 26-year-old was close to joining Turkish side Besiktas on loan. However, Flamengo submitted a last-minute offer for a permanent move. That proposal was more attractive to both Milan and the player.

Initially, Milan preferred a loan, presumably so they didn’t have to make a capital loss on what they paid Spurs, but negotiations progressed quickly on Wednesday, and they accepted Flamengo’s bid.

The transfer represents a financial loss for Milan. The Italian club signed Emerson Royal from Tottenham just last year for a reported €15m. The current fee of €9m shows a sharp depreciation in under 12 months.

This outcome also affects Spurs. The quick sale at a loss means they are unlikely to receive any meaningful bonuses or add-ons from the original deal.

For reference, Tottenham bought Emerson from Barcelona in 2021 for €30m, with a further €5m in potential add-ons.

Before his time in England, Emerson had impressed at Atlético Mineiro. He then moved to Europe with Real Betis, had a brief spell at Barcelona, and eventually joined Spurs.

He made 101 appearances for the North London club, scoring four goals and providing two assists. Last season at Milan, he played 26 matches, starting 22 of them.

Returning to Brazil was not part of his initial plan. Still, the project offered by Flamengo – and the chance to gain visibility with the national team – helped change his mind.

Despite a solid European résumé, his market value has clearly dropped.