Sport Witness

Towards the end of last season, Dejan Kulusevski picked up an injury that forced him to miss Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League final win over Manchester United.

On May 14th, the north London club confirmed that the Sweden international successfully underwent surgery after he “suffered an injury to his right patella”.

The attacking midfielder hasn’t featured for Tottenham this season and may not return to the pitch anytime soon.

Last month, Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson expressed his disappointment with the 25-year-old missing their World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo in September.

On Monday, the former Blackburn Rovers manager spoke to Swedish media, where he has confirmed the Tottenham player has joined the national team camp and Fotbollskanalen have relayed his comments.

The Dane has hailed the former Juventus man for being part of the group, while insisted that he can’t count on him on the pitch.

“Dejan Kulusevski will be part of the group. He will not be able to play but he will be there anyway,” he said.

“That says something about his character. He will do everything to make sure we get to the World Cup. He wants to help the team. He will be with the team throughout the training camp.”

The national team manager was immediately asked whether Kulusevski will be there for the matches against Slovenia and Kosovo.

Responding to that, Jon Dahl Tomasson explained: “Yes, he will come along.”

The Spurs attacker can make the best use of his leadership qualities to help Sweden for their upcoming two fixtures.

When asked whether it was Kulusevski’s initiative to join the group, he added: “We have talked many times, and he asked me if he could be there.”

“I replied: ‘Of course you can!’. Everyone in the team thought: ‘Wow, he has the right character’ when they heard about it. This says something about his personality.”

Juventus’ failure to re-sign Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo-Muani has provided an opportunity to Tottenham Hotspur, but this can also lead to an exit from Thomas Frank’s side.

Orazio Accomando reports that Spurs’ move for the Frenchman could pave the way for Mathys Tel’s exit, which may be something of a stretch.

The journalist notes that there is the possibility of Galatasaray coming forward for the ex-Bayern Munich talent, who joined Tottenham permanently earlier this summer after an initial loan stint in the second half of last season.

Fabrice Hawkins reports that a move for Kolo-Muani is now done, with the PSG striker joining Spurs on a loan deal, with the player having rejected a switch to Aston Villa.

Tottenham don’t have an option or obligation to buy the France international permanently and this can play a part in the situation of Tel.

Both players operate in the same positions and it will be interesting to see how Frank uses them together, with Kolo-Muani having shown an ability to play in the wide areas as well.

Since Tel joined Tottenham permanently only two months ago, it would be a huge surprise for him to depart the club so quickly. In addition, Galatasaray have strongly invested in their attack.

Last week, Gazzetta dello Sport reported Tottenham as a candidate to sign Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji.

AC Milan were also in the race, but Spurs were believed to be leading the charge, with Galatasaray previously having failed in a move for the Switzerland international.

Tottenham are still in the race for the centre-back, as the hours tick down to 7pm.

Today’s Gazzetta dello Sport report that Milan’s move for the 30-year-old has fallen through as Akanji is keen on playing in the Champions League, with the Rossoneri only having qualified for the Europa League.

Milan are now focusing on a move for Liverpool’s Joe Gomez, with Leicester City’s Caleb Okoli also seen as an option. This can give Tottenham a key opening in a move for Akanji, with Thomas Frank’s side said to be ‘frontrunners’ in the race.

Corriere dello Sport’s Ivan Zazzaroni has also indicated that the Switzerland international has shown an inclination towards joining Spurs because of his desire to play in the Champions League.

He said on Instagram, relayed by AreaNapoli: “Højlund chose Napoli to play in the Champions League, rejecting Milan and Leipzig. Akanji did the same, turning down offers from Furlani & Co. for City or Tottenham.”

The journalist also notes that Akanji can still stay at Manchester City, with time running out in the transfer window.

This suggests that everything can now depend on Tottenham and whether they make a decisive move for the player or not.

Last season, Tottenham Hotspur’s Bryan Gil was on loan at Girona, managing four goals and three assists from 32 games.

The forward’s loan spell was cut short after he suffered an injury in March, forcing him to spend over 80 days on the sidelines. Gil returned to Tottenham, where he has a contract until 2026, but no future under Thomas Frank.

Earlier this month, we covered claims from Spain that Girona have reactivated the option to bring the Tottenham player back to the club.

Journalist Nil Solà took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to report the latest on the La Liga club’s pursuit of the 24-year-old.

He claims Girona manager Míchel is keen on reuniting with the Spain international and the latter ‘only wants’ to join the Catalan club.

This clearly favours Girona, who are currently moving forward with the desire to close the deal for Gil. To do this, they are waiting for Spurs to terminate the former Sevilla man’s contract.

It’s unclear whether the Europa League winners are willing to let Gil leave as a free agent on deadline day. If not, Girona have to find a different formula to please their manager.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank currently has Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso as three fit centre-backs at his disposal, whilst Radu Drăgușin is recovering from injury.

Frank has said the north London club aren’t looking for a centre-back this summer. That hasn’t stopped Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji being linked to Tottenham.

Despite Frank’s comments, Gazzetta dello Sport report Tottenham are the ‘logical solution’ for the Manchester City player, without providing any explanation.

AC Milan sporting director Igli Tare has already confirmed his interest in Akanji. They are said to be facing a competition from Spurs.

That’s according to Calciomercato.it, and they report Tottenham’s inclusion in the signing race has ‘changed the situation somewhat’. Therefore, the Rossoneri are looking at other solutions.

Italian journalist Carlo Pellegatti covers Milan and the Europa League winners’ interest in the 30-year-old, relayed by Pianeta Milan.

He reports the Manchester City centre-back wants to play in the Champions League. This is something what Tottenham can offer, but not Milan.

On Saturday, Sky Italia reported Tottenham have offered €20m to Manchester City for the defender. However, Pellegatti has now dismissed this.

He claims Spurs need to make an offer if they want to sign the Switzerland international and until then, Milan can hope of securing Akanji’s services.

“There’s something new for Akanji. He’d like to play in the Champions League, but Tottenham haven’t made an offer yet. He’d also be happy to stay at City,” he said.

“For AC Milan, he’s first on the list. Sadly, Akanji will join AC Milan if Tottenham don’t want him: for him, AC Milan is the third choice.”

Tottenham Hotspur are one of the clubs to have been credited with interest in Atlético Madrid’s Conor Gallagher.

The La Liga club are considering the possibility of selling the midfielder if Spurs were to make a convincing bid for him. Two days ago, AS reported Tottenham are in battle to sign Gallagher before the window closes on Monday.

On Friday, we covered claims from Spain explaining that Thomas Frank’s side are stalking the midfielder. It was also reported Atlético would need between €50-60m to sanction his sale.

Saturday’s edition of Marca covers the Europa League winners as an option for the 25-year-old.

The report mainly focuses on Los Rojiblancos’ interest in Juventus’ Nico González, who is also being pursued by Villarreal and AC Milan. The Argentine is keen on playing under his compatriot, Diego Simeone.

Atlético’s advances for the 23-year-old depends on last-minute exits, mainly that of the former Chelsea man. He has suitors in the Premier League, but they haven’t made an offer yet.

According to Marca, Tottenham are considering bringing the England international back to the Premier League. However, they don’t intend to pay more than €42m invested by the La Liga club to sign him last summer.

If this move doesn’t materialise, Atlético could consider selling some other players, to try and sign González.

Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan are set to battle for Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji late in the summer window. That’s according to Sky Italia, and they indicate Tottenham’s interest in the centre-back is a concern for Milan.

On Friday, Gazzetta dello Sport reported Milan have a general agreement with Akanji but are yet to hold formal talks with Manchester City. Sky Italia plays this down, while the Serie A side still remain keen on signing the 30-year-old.

Milan sporting director Igli Tare has confirmed his side’s desire to sign the Manchester City player.

“This change in formation in the last few days has put us in a bit of trouble. In the next four or five days, we need to try to bring home an experienced player like Akanji: he can play for AC Milan. But it’s not easy,” he told Sky Italia.

The Rossoneri believe they can easily reach an agreement with Manchester City for €15m plus bonuses. They have submitted an initial offer to Akanji’s entourage and are expecting a response from him by Saturday.

Akanji, for his part, prefers to continue in the Premier League, where Tottenham are keen on signing him. Milan have to worry about Spurs’ interest as the report states the north London club have made an offer of around €20m.

The Europa League winners’ efforts make it a ‘difficult operation’ for the Italian club to sign the Switzerland international.

Tottenham are offering better terms that Milan to Manchester City. This, coupled with the defender’s preference would help Thomas Frank’s side secure his services.

Tottenham Hotspur’s deal for RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons will not include any bonus payments above the €60m fixed fee they are paying.

That’s according to Sky Germany, who report that Leipzig have accepted Tottenham’s offer for the Dutch forward today.

According to their information, Simons will be joining Tottenham at some point soon having already signed his contract with the club after completing a medical.

The deal will see Leipzig receive a guaranteed €60m but no bonus payments have been agreed upon. Instead, there is a sell-on clause included in the deal that will being the total package closer to the previous €70m valuation that Leipzig had been looking for.

Simons has already completed and passed a medical check and has agreed to a seven-year contract with Tottenham until 2032. This has already been signed and is done after he passed a medical.

He has decided to move to Tottenham despite having wanted to join Chelsea this summer. In fact, Sky say he ‘desperately’ wanted to join the Club World Cup champions, but they never submitted an offer for him.

So, he will now be joining Tottenham instead and has already signed his contract with them to finalise that move.

On Thursday, Bild reported RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons had travelled to London to hold talks with Tottenham Hotspur over a potential move.

Later that day, Sky Deutschland journalist Philipp Hinze reported Tottenham had made the first bid, close to Leipzig’s demand of €70m.

Claims from Germany then stated the 22-year-old’s move to Tottenham is ‘getting really hot’. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s good relationship with Leipzig chairman of supervisory board, Oliver Mintzlaff, could be key to this operation.

At 4am BST on Friday, Bild published the latest on the north London club’s efforts to sign the attacking midfielder.

Simons has been in London since Wednesday, holding talks with Thomas Frank’s side, who are currently ‘in pole position’ to sign him.

Spurs have been looking for a new attacking midfielder, especially after James Maddison joined Dejan Kulusevski in the treatment room. They missed out on a few targets and are now ‘pushing hard’, to find a total agreement to sign the Netherlands international.

He was expected to return to Germany yesterday. The Dutchman hasn’t left London yet as the talks are still ongoing. The report suspects this could be probably because of Chelsea, who have maintained an interest in him for long.

The Blues haven’t completely ruled out a move and could make an attempt as Christopher Nkunku is on his way to AC Milan. The report says his exit gives them ‘financial flexibility’, but it’s unclear whether they’ll make advances for Simons.

Bild expect a ‘decision in Xavi poker today’, and it’ll be clear in the coming hours whether he will join Tottenham or Chelsea.

The Europa League winners have reportedly made an offer and seem to have a good chance to secure Simons’ services.

On Thursday, Bild reported RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons had travelled to London to hold talks with Tottenham Hotspur over a potential move.

Later that day, Sky Deutschland journalist Philipp Hinze reported Tottenham had made the first bid, close to Leipzig’s demand of €70m.

Claims from Germany then stated the 22-year-old’s move to Tottenham is ‘getting really hot’. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s good relationship with Leipzig chairman of supervisory board, Oliver Mintzlaff, could be key to this operation.

At 4am BST on Friday, Bild published the latest on the north London club’s efforts to sign the attacking midfielder.

Simons has been in London since Wednesday, holding talks with Thomas Frank’s side, who are currently ‘in pole position’ to sign him.

Spurs have been looking for a new attacking midfielder, especially after James Maddison joined Dejan Kulusevski in the treatment room. They missed out on a few targets and are now ‘pushing hard’, to find a total agreement to sign the Netherlands international.

He was expected to return to Germany yesterday. The Dutchman hasn’t left London yet as the talks are still ongoing. The report suspects this could be probably because of Chelsea, who have maintained an interest in him for long.

The Blues haven’t completely ruled out a move and could make an attempt as Christopher Nkunku is on his way to AC Milan. The report says his exit gives them ‘financial flexibility’, but it’s unclear whether they’ll make advances for Simons.

Bild expect a ‘decision in Xavi poker today’, and it’ll be clear in the coming hours whether he will join Tottenham or Chelsea.

The Europa League winners have reportedly made an offer and seem to have a good chance to secure Simons’ services.