Inside Futbol

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Sunderland are ‘preparing an opening official bid’ for Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur linked defender Jhon Lucumi, despite Bologna’s desire to keep hold of him.

The Black Cats have been on a spending spree which has caught the eye this summer, even being remarked upon in Germany.

As many as five players have arrived through the Stadium of Light door and the club’s transfer spending has gone through the roof on quite a few of those acquisitions.

For now, Habib Diarra is their most expensive signing, with in the region of £30m being spent to get him from Strasbourg.

Sunderland have now turned their attention to Italy, where they have zeroed in on Bologna’s 27-year-old defender, a player already interesting Premier League sides.

Aston Villa, who want a centre-back, hold an interest in Lucumi, while Tottenham are also admirers and may need a new centre-back if Cristian Romero goes.

Lucumi has been in Serie A since 2022 and has managed 109 appearances for Bologna, 15 of which have come in European competition.

Now, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Sunderland are preparing an official opening bid for the defender.

Interested club Can offer Aston Villa Premier League, Europa League Tottenham Hotspur Premier League, Champions League Sunderland Premier League What can suitors offer?

They have established contact with the Italian club in the last 24 hours and want to test Bologna’s resolve to keep hold of him.

The Rossoblu want to keep hold of Lucumi for now but with less than 12 months left on his contract, their stance could change if a lucrative offer is made.

Lucumi also boasts of international experience, having played 29 games for Colombia.

If Sunderland do manage to have a bid accepted by Bologna, it remains to be seen if that might then spark either Aston Villa or Tottenham into life in the chase.

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Tottenham Hotspur target Morgan Gibbs-White is training with Nottingham Forest as normal today.

Spurs have told Nottingham Forest they will trigger the £60m release clause in Gibbs-White’s contract and take him to north London this summer, but that has angered the City Ground side.

Forest have now called in lawyers to take legal action against Tottenham over an alleged illegal approach for Gibbs-White.

Despite Gibbs-White being ready and prepared to make the move to Tottenham, the switch has now been put on hold.

And Gibbs-White is training with Nottingham Forest today, according to journalist Tom Barclay, with no sign of any absence.

He is at the club as usual and training as usual, despite the transfer saga now surrounding him.

Nottingham Forest have just lost top winger Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United in a £55m deal and losing Gibbs-White too would be a massive blow to take on top of that.

The deal is still rated as being likely to happen, but when it will happen is open to question, as is what the fallout from it will be.

One former Nottingham Forest star believes that the club’s fans will be fuming about the prospect of losing Gibbs-White so soon after seeing Elanga walk through the exit door.

Forest are active in the market and recently saw a bid for Palmerias midfielder Richard Rios turned down.

Fellow Premier League outfit Wolves are also keen on Rios, but it is Italian giants Roma who are currently pushing hardest to get a deal done with the Brazilians.

If Gibbs-Whites does go, then Nottingham Forest will be under huge pressure to respond to that with eye-catching signings as they cannot afford to go into next season weaker than they were last term, especially with European football to play.

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Spanish outfit Celta de Vigo are counting on out-of-favour Tottenham Hotspur star Bryan Gil to help make a move happen this summer.

The 24-year-old spent last season on loan at La Liga club Girona, managing 32 appearances for them and making seven goal contributions.

Those performances helped raise his stock, with his parent club now putting his value at €15m, despite Gil not threatening to make an impact in north London during his time at the club.

Girona held talks about potentially signing Gil, but find €15m to be too high and it is suggested the list of suitors has dwindled as a result.

Celta Vigo, who are also keen, find the fee demanded to be too high also.

They are keen on signing Gild this summer, but are expected to face difficulty in matching Tottenham’s valuation.

According to Spanish daily Super Deporte, Celta Vigo are counting on Gil to push for a move back to Spain, where he has found relative success of late, if it is to happen.

Tottenham are keen on offloading the player permanently this summer as manager Thomas Frank does not consider him in his plans for the new season.

A sale would also help add more money to the manager’s transfer kitty as he goes shopping for players he likes.

Tottenham have just signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham and have triggered Morgan Gibbs-White’s release clause at Nottingham Forest.

Nottingham Forest, though, are unhappy about Tottenham’s approach and are taking legal action.

At Celta Vigo, Gil would get the chance to play in the Europa League after the club qualified for the competition by virtue of a seventh-place finish.

Girona could also yet rekindle their interest in signing Gil, who may well prioritising returning to the club he played for last season.

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Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur linked Koni De Winter is close to reaching a personal agreement with Inter Milan, but the Italians cannot sign him now.

De Winter has been attracting attention from Premier League sides this summer.

Crystal Palace, who have now been demoted to the Conference League due to their ownership issues with John Textor, are likely to lose their captain, Marc Guehi, who Liverpool want.

Palace have been looking to bring in two defenders in the window and they were on the brink of signing De Winter recently, before uncertainty around European competition saw the move stall.

Tottenham are also interested in the Genoa defender and have asked about him.

Thomas Frank’s men could lose Cristian Romero, who wants to join Atletico Madrid this summer.

The pair though are firmly on the backfoot when it comes to signing De Winter, with Inter Milan making real and solid progress.

According to Belgian journalist Pieter-Jan Calcoen, the 23-year-old is close to reaching on terms with the Champions League runners-up.

Competition Finish Serie A Runners-up Champions League Runners-up Coppa Italia Semi-final FIFA Club World Cup Last 16 Inter Milan last season

While De Winter may be happy to make the move, it cannot happen now, with Inter Milan preferring to sell before sanctioning a purchase.

The Serie A giants have been open to selling defender Yann Bisseck, who has multiple clubs interested in him.

De Winter joined Genoa from Juventus last summer on a permanent deal and his performances at the Italian club have generated interest from clubs around Europe.

If Crystal Palace or Tottenham do not want to lose out on De Winter then there may be a window of opportunity to strike given Inter Milan’s position.

The Premier League pair though likely need to step up their interest quickly.

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Sergio Reguilon has been offered to Italian giants AC Milan following his departure from Tottenham Hotspur earlier this summer.

The left-back’s contract at Tottenham ran out at the end of June and he has left the north London side as a free agent.

He had a loan spell at Brentford under new Spurs boss Thomas Frank last year, but the former Bees boss did not offer him a lifeline to continue at the club.

Now Reguilon’s agents are hard at work to look for a new home for the 28-year-old.

AC Milan are looking for a left-back after missing out on Archie Brown to Fenerbahce, with the Rossoneri trying to land the Gent man but failing.

And Regulion has been offered to the Rossoneri as an option, according to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti.

AC Milan though are focusing on other targets before they would turn their attention towards the Spaniard.

Club Real Madrid Logrones Sevilla Tottenham Hotspur Atletico Madrid Manchester United Brentford Clubs Sergio Reguilon has played for

Reguilon made just four Premier League appearances for Tottenham over the course of last season, with an injury crisis seeing him get a chance back in the side.

He played in games against Wolves, Newcastle United and Leicester City, before then facing Aston Villa in Spurs’ penultimate Premier League clash.

The defender did not play in the Europa League for Spurs, but still picked up a medal when they beat Manchester United in the final.

Reguilon has so far only played his club football in England and his native Spain, and it remains to be seen if that changes over the coming weeks as he looks for a new club to join.

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Fenerbahce have sent an ‘authorised representative’ to London to speak to Tottenham Hotspur to discuss a potential transfer for midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Spurs have made big strides in the summer window this week, as they have accelerated their transfer business to back new boss Thomas Frank.

Mohammed Kudus joined the club on a permanent deal for £55m earlier this week and they are now trying to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest for £60m.

The Tricky Trees’ superstar’s deal to Spurs is currently on hold, though, as Forest are consulting lawyers regarding Tottenham’s approach.

It does not stop Spurs from making other transfer decisions, as they could be looking to trim their wage bill to facilitate new signings for Frank.

Bissouma, 28, who will be out of contract next summer, is attracting interest from clubs around Europe.

Jose Mourinho-managed Fenerbahce, who are looking to compete with Galatasaray next season, are keen on him and have been chasing his signature.

Fenerbahce’s pursuit could be picking up pace as, according to Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu, the Canaries have sent one of their representatives to London to discuss a possible transfer of Bissouma with Spurs.

The Mali midfielder has 100 Spurs appearances to his name and given Spurs’ work in the transfer market he may struggle for games in the new campaign.

Fenerbahce are close to securing former Galactico Marco Asensio, and are keen on strengthening their engine room with Bissouma.

Mourinho could not win the Turkish league title last term and is under big pressure to do that next season.

Champions League qualifiers are on Fenerbahce’s agenda first and now it remains to be seen if the Canaries representative will be able to leave London with a positive outcome.

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Tottenham Hotspur know that Atletico Madrid are playing a poker game for Cristian Romero, who wants to make a move to La Liga.

Spurs snapped up the Argentina defender from Serie A club Atalanta back in the summer of 2021 for €16m.

And the 27-year-old has been a talismanic presence at Spurs and has captained the club whenever Heung-Min Son did not start in the recent season.

Spurs won the latest edition of the Europa League, but Romero is still looking for a pathway out of the club this summer, having set his sights on Spain and Atletico Madrid specifically.

Tottenham supremo Daniel Levy wants to keep the Argentine at the club, but he has made it clear that he wants to leave, and money is not the issue.

Levy is known as a tough negotiator and Atletico Madrid have so far been unwilling to meet his asking price for the Argentina defender.

It has even been suggested in some quarters that Atletico Madrid are giving up the chase.

Centre-back Cristian Romero Ben Davies Radu Dragusin Micky van de Ven Archie Gray Kevin Danso Kota Takai Ashley Phillips Luka Vuskovic Tottenham’s centre-backs

However, according to Spanish journalist David Vinuesa Malbac, Tottenham ‘know that Atletico are playing poker’ on the Romero transfer.

It is suggested that Romero ‘knows what he has to do’ and it remains to be seen exactly what that is.

If the Spurs defender pushes forcefully for a move, it could be a big issue for the newly appointed boss, Thomas Frank and team harmony, as Romero is one of the most influential figures in the dressing room.

He has made 124 Tottenham appearances and he is not interested in adding to that number anymore, as he is adamant on leaving the north Londoners before the season starts.

Levy though can be tough for other clubs to deal with and whether he will shift his stance is still unclear.

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Tottenham Hotspur have booked in a medical for Mohammed Kudus after agreeing a fee with West Ham United, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

Spurs have made landing Kudus a priority target for this summer’s transfer window and it is a move the former Ajax man has wanted to happen.

Now there has been a breakthrough in talks between the two clubs on a fee, which will see West Ham bank around £55m from selling him to Spurs.

Tottenham are acting quickly and have now booked in a medical for the 24-year-old for Thursday.

A six-year contract is on the table for Kudus and personal terms are not expected to represent any problem for Thomas Frank’s men.

Tottenham will want the deal done and dusted as soon as possible as they continue their rebuild under Frank.

They are also in the process of chasing Brentford attacker Yoane Wissa, a player that Frank knows well.

Bringing in Kudus and Wissa would inject new life into the Tottenham attack and is sure to be something Frank would be excited about.

For West Ham, who have been insisting they need to sell to buy, the deal should give Graham Potter some spending power in the market.

Kudus will be able to play in the Champions League next season by making the move, with Spurs having booked their spot in the league phase through winning the Europa League.

The Hammers star made 32 appearances in the Premier League last term and made eight goal contributions in those games.

He scored at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Spurs in October and that may well have stuck in the north London club’s mind.

The substantial transfer fee means Kudus will become one of the most expensive signings Tottenham have ever made.

Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho has a Tottenham Hotspur star at the top of his list and Spurs’ asking price has become clear.

Mourinho knows English football well and has a number of former Premier League stars on the books at Fenerbahce, including Fred, Jhon Duran and Diego Carlos.

With Fenerbahce having failed to topple fierce rivals Galatasaray at the top of the Turkish Super Lig, Mourinho wants to strengthen the squad, something evidenced by the arrival of Duran.

Tottenham’s 28-year-old midfield Yves Bissouma is a player who has managed to catch the attention of the Portuguese boss.

He is at the ‘top of Jose Mourinho’s list’ to strengthen the midfield, according to Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu.

Tottenham do look to be willing to do business but want to be paid £20m in order to let him depart this summer.

It now remains to be seen whether Fenerbahce are prepared to meet Spurs’ demands for the midfielder.

Player Diego Carlos Cenk Tosun Jhon Duran Fred Sofyan Amrabat Caglar Soyuncu Ex-Premier League players at Fenerbahce

Spurs supremo Daniel Levy is renowned for being tough to deal with and he may well not be willing to lower the price tag.

Bissouma, who moved to England in 2018, is just nine appearances short of reaching the milestone of 200 Premier League appearances.

He played 44 matches for the London-based club last season, ten of which were in the Europa League.

Spurs are looking to make signings under Thomas Frank this summer, with Brentford’s Yoane Wissa someone they are currently chasing.

Selling Bissouma would bring in cash that could be used in the transfer kitty.

Fenerbahce have Champions League qualifiers on the agenda later this summer and Mourinho is likely to want Bissouma in through the door for them.

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Tottenham Hotspur are ‘weighing up financials’ ahead of a swoop to bring in Yoane Wissa from Thomas Frank’s former club Brentford.

Spurs have already added to their forward options by bringing back Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich on a permanent deal.

They do want more options in the final third however, as evidenced by their interest in Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, who wants to join Manchester United.

Now, in the absence of Mbeumo, Tottenham are looking to sign his Brentford team-mate Wissa.

They are currently in the process of ‘weighing up financials’ attached to the deal, according to journalist Sami Mokbel.

Wissa is suggested to be open to making the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to reunite with his former manager.

It is unclear if Brentford would be willing to sell both Mbeumo and Wissa this summer as that would be a huge blow to their attacking options.

Wissa, who is due to turn 29 years old in September, has just a year left on his current contract at Brentford, though the Bees do have an option to extend by a year.

The attacker scored 19 goals in 35 Premier League games for Brentford over the course of last season, while he also chipped in with five assists.

He did not score against Tottenham though as he missed the first meeting with an ankle injury and then drew a blank in the second, which Brentford won 2-0.

Wissa would represent an option for Tottenham that Frank knows well and be happy trusting on the pitch.

Spurs though look likely to need to dig deep into their pockets to provide the level of fee that Brentford would be happy with.

And Wissa’s age means there will undoubtedly be questions about a lack of resale value, as he approaches his 30s.

Prior to joining Brentford, Wissa had played all his football in France, where he was born; he represents DR Congo on the international stage.