SPORTbible

Xavi Simons has a 'preference' when it comes to his next transfer, according to reports, as Tottenham and Chelsea continue to be linked with a move for the attacking midfielder.

Tottenham's priority in the final days of the window is signing a No. 10 after missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, and it appears Simons has been identified as a suitable target.

In fact, the club are preparing to hijack Chelsea's deal for Simons, according to Sky reporter Florian Plettenberg.

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Chelsea, meanwhile, are said to have reached an agreement on personal terms with the 22-year-old attacking midfielder and are 'very much in the race' to sign him from RB Leipzig, who are now waiting for official offers.

Leipzig want at least €65 million (£56m) for Simons, as per Ben Jacobs.

Simons, who is currently in London to finalise a move, has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge for much of the summer window.

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And amid rumours of Spurs' interest, Kieran Gill of the Mail claims Simons’ preference remains Chelsea after their London rivals were invited to consider their own swoop.

The Netherlands international, who joined Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain in January following an 18-month loan spell at the Red Bull Arena, has informed the German club of his desire to leave after they missed out on Champions League football.

Simons has been persistently linked with a Premier League transfer in recent transfer windows, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United all being credited with an interest.

Back in April, Simons opened up on his future amid interest from the Premier League.

“I’m still a young player, I have many dreams – and the club knows that,” he told Sky Germany. “But right now, the most important thing for me is to play well in the upcoming games. Then we have the international matches, and after that we’ll sit down and see what happens.”

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Pep Guardiola could be presented with the need to make a quick decision on the future of one of Manchester City's summer signings.

Man City stole in ahead of Newcastle United to bring England Under-21 international goalkeeper James Trafford back to the club from Burnley but his senior home debut for the club didn't go to plan.

The 22-year-old kept a clean sheet in City's 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers but was at fault for Joao Palhinha's goal in a 2-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Guardiola's goalkeeper position is up for grabs. Ederson is expected to leave the club, with Istanbul giants Galatasaray the likeliest destination for the 32-year-old.

City's reported interest in Paris Saint-Germain stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma is ongoing and there are reports this week that Trafford could yet be heading for Istanbul himself.

Politikam via Sport Witness reports that former Manchester United player and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants Trafford as his number one at Besiktas and could get his wish.

"It’s claimed contact has been made for the youngster and that his agent is said to have travelled to Istanbul to commence transfer talks with Besiktas president Serdal Adali," writes Sport Witness.

"The Black Eagles have been busy this summer with the Norwegian coach strengthening his midfield and attack, but now he wants to make the goalkeeper position one of his priorities.

"The Super Lig side are reportedly looking to loan Trafford, although there is no indication a purchase option is being negotiated."

Trafford first joined Man City from Carlisle United ten years ago and spent time on loan with Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers before Burnley parted with £15 million plus add-ons to sign him permanently.

Trafford starred for England as they retained the Under-21 European Championship title this summer and was apparently on the cusp of a move to Newcastle before City offered a surprise return.

Burnley conceded just 16 goals in 46 Championship games on their way to automatic promotion under Scott Parker last season. Both the Clarets and Leeds United reached the Premier League by racking up exactly 100 points in 2024-25.

City agreed a £27 million deal to sign the young goalkeeper, who signed a five-year deal in July.

Arsenal are set to hijack a second Tottenham transfer following the signing of Eberechi Eze as David Ornstein has dropped a major update.

Arsenal have splashed the cash this summer, having snapped up the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi.

Gyokeres, who issued a message to his critics after his brace against Leeds United last weekend, cost the Gunners £64 million while they shelled out £60 million to acquire Zubimendi.

And the club are working on further reinforcements ahead of next month's transfer deadline, having unveiled Eze against Leeds.

According to Ornstein, Arsenal are 'working on a deal' to sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen.

The deal, however, is subject to player exits as they look to balance their books, having signed seven new players this summer.

Hincapie, who can play as a centre-back or a left-back, is under contract at Leverkusen until 2029, but has informed the club of his desire to leave this summer.

The 23-year-old has a release clause of €60 million (£52 million), although, per the report, efforts are being made to lower that fee to a more realistic market value.

Hincapie's preference is to join Arsenal, who are ready to push for him should departures at the Emirates materialise.

Ornstein's report comes just hours after Fabrizio Romano claimed Spurs had made an approach for the Ecuadorian.

They proposed a loan deal with an obligation to trigger his release clause next summer and started discussing personal teams.

But it appears Arsenal are set to pip their cross-city rivals to the signing of Hincapie - just like they did with Eze.

If Arsenal can get the deal over the line, Hincapie, who has featured prominently on the club's recruitment lists for some time, would be the second defender to arrive this summer following the transfer of Cristhian Mosquera, who joined from Valencia for £17 million.

Who could Arsenal sell this summer?

As mentioned, Arsenal have signed seven new players this summer.

An eighth signing could be on the way if the club can successfully offload players ahead of the September 1 deadline.

Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson are among the players who could be let go.

Porto are pursuing a move for Kiwior, while Fulham are interested in signing Nelson after he enjoyed a loan spell at Craven Cottage last season.

Jamie O'Hara has hit out at Arsenal after the Premier League side unveiled new signing Eberechi Eze ahead of their match against Leeds United.

Shortly before Arsenal produced a dominant win over newly-promoted side Leeds United at the Emirates, Gunners fans were treated to the official unveiling of new signing Eberechi Eze.

Despite reportedly agreeing with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, the Crystal Palace decided instead to sign for boyhood club Arsenal in what is viewed as a major statement signing for Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal will pay an initial fee of £60million for the the 27-year-old, with a further £7.5m potentially being added on if certain bonuses are met.

As he walked out onto the Emirates pitch for the first time as an Arsenal player, fans in the stadium made their feelings about the new signing clear, but former Tottenham player O'Hara wasn't happy with the unveiling.

Although Eze's debut likely to come during next week's title clash with Liverpool, his unveiling at the Emirates showed him that fans are seriously excited to have him at the club.

Shortly before his unveiling at the Emirates, Arsenal announced the signing with a video featuring Eze and club legend Ian Wright on social media.

But it appears that O'Hara was not impressed with the video, as he criticised it while watching it live on talkSPORT, saying: “What have I just watched there? Seriously, what am I watching? It’s embarrassing, mate, Wrighty should know better as well."

To which co-host Jason Cundy replied: "No one does cringe like Arsenal. It's the way, it's the modern world. Social media now, it's where it all goes off.

"By the way, what a signing, don't be getting bitter!"

Prompting O'Hara to state: "He’s a good player. He ain’t Messi. Do you know what I mean? Come on, he’s a decent player. They’re bigging him up like they’ve signed Erling Haaland.”

With Crystal Palace set to receive a reported £67.5m for their star player, Eze's move to the Gunners takes Arsenal's total spending this summer to around £250million.

Viktor Gyokeres, who scored two at the Emirates on Saturday, Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi are just some of the other players who have joined Arsenal in recent weeks.

Djed Spence has fired a brutal dig at a Manchester City player after Tottenham's 2-0 win over Pep Guardiola's side at the Etihad Stadium.

Spurs star Spence was part of the defence that kept their second consecutive clean sheet this season after last weekend's 3-0 victory over Burnley.

Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha both got on the scoresheet for Thomas Frank's side in Manchester.

Palhinha capitalised on an error from City's new £27 million goalkeeper James Trafford, who was preferred to Ederson in the starting XI.

The hosts had relatively few clear-cut chances throughout the 90 minutes, though Guglielmo Vicario pulled off a good save to deny Omar Marmoush with the scores at 0-0.

It is two wins out of two for Spurs, with City failing to build on their 4-0 thrashing of Wolves last weekend.

Spence, who is a natural right-back but was moved to the opposite flank by Ange Postecoglou last season after an injury to Destiny Udogie, again lined up at left-back at the Etihad Stadium amid Udogie's latest absence.

Taking to Instagram, he posted a series of photos from the game alongside the caption: "Bring me your favourite winger #GODSPEED."

Spence was up against Oscar Bobb, and City right-back Rico Lewis, during the game, with neither attacking player having any significant impact on proceedings at the Etihad Stadium.

Thomas Frank on Spurs win over Man City

Speaking after the game, Spurs boss Frank praised his side's performance: "It was a real team performance. So happy with the performance and the win.

"The goal changed a bit of momentum, and since the goal I think we were on top for more or less the rest of the game.

"The second half, exceptional. The way we came out, still wanting to play, still wanting to open up, high pressure, really aggressive. That, I'm really proud of.

"Then, of course, the clean sheet mentality. The clean sheet is really important, because it's then easier to win football matches. Big credit to the staff and the players - the high pressure, middle pressure, lower block, defending the box... so important. Last year was six clean sheets, and we need to keep going."

Phil Foden could be seen laughing on the Manchester City bench, just moments after Spurs made it 2-0 – and fans think they've worked out why.

It was a first half to forget for Pep Guardiola and his side on Saturday afternoon as goals from Brennan Johnson and summer signing Joao Palhinha gave the visitors a deserved lead at the Etihad.

James Trafford, who became Manchester City's sixth signing of the summer after completing a £27 million move from Burnley, was preferred to last season's first-choice Ederson.

But the 22-year-old goalkeeper made a glaring error, just moments before Palhinha doubled Tottenham's lead with moments remaining of the first half.

Cameras soon ventured over to the City bench as Jeremy Doku, Abdukodir Khusanov and Matheus Nunes looked on stone-faced, but to the surprise of many, Phil Foden burst out laughing.

Some fans on social media believe Foden was reacting to Spurs' away support, who could be heard singing: "Champions of Europe, we know what we are" as they took a surprise 2-0 lead.

One said: "Foden just laughing at them for singing 'Champions of Europe'", while another commented: "Foden laughing off the Spurs fans chant 'CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE!!!'"

A third wrote: "So why is Foden laughing at the Champions of Europe chant? Are we wrong?"

A fourth said: "Phil Foden is laughing at the "Champions of Europe" chant," and a fifth added: "Phil Foden couldn’t believe his ears when he heard Spurs fans singing 'Champions of Europe we know who we are.'"

Foden struggled for large parts of last season, but Pep Guardiola is optimistic the midfielder will be back to his best in the coming months.

“Phil is a top-class, extraordinary player," he said ahead of Saturday's clash against Spurs. "The last Premier League we won, he was massively important. He was the best player in the Premier League.

“Always I try to convince him he can be better, can read the situations better. But I never would doubt the quality of Phil and I only want his joy to be playing again and be happy. Phil is something unique.

“(Last season) was the first season after six or seven (seasons) when everything dropped a little bit. If he learned the lesson that would be great."

Guardiola added: “There are always seasons that you cannot be like you were, but Phil has been incredibly consistent and incredible in these many years, and this is what we are looking for (again).”

Tottenham have reportedly found their replacement for Arsenal-bound forward Eberechi Eze but the deal could hinge on the approval of a Gunners legend.

Spurs looked set to sign the England and Crystal Palace star after he inspired the Eagles to victory in the FA Cup final against Manchester City in May.

Eze has also impressed on the international stage, having won 12 caps and scored one goal for the Three Lions since his debut in June 2023.

However, just as the deal appeared to be edging over the line, Spurs’ North London rivals hijacked it - luring Eze to the Emirates and leaving Thomas Frank’s transfer strategy in tatters.

To make matters worse, this is not the first time that Spurs have had their transfer plans scuppered this summer.

The 2025 UEFA Europa League winners were close to signing Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White until his club convinced him to sign a new deal instead.

The Times has now reported that Spurs have turned their attention to a new target in the form of Como attacking midfielder Nico Paz.

The 20-year-old Argentina international is one of the most exciting young talents in Serie A after scoring six goals and producing nine assists in 35 league appearances last term.

But Spurs may face another hurdle in their bid to get their man, though, with Como managed by one of the greatest Arsenal midfielders of all time, Cesc Fabregas.

As a result, the Spaniard would surely have a say in any deal for the former Real Madrid star, who Toni Kroos has described as an 'exceptional' talent.

Fabregas enjoyed a superb spell with the Gunners between 2003 and 2011 before leaving to join boyhood club Barcelona.

Tottenham desperately need to sign an attacking midfielder after James Maddison was ruled out of the majority of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Spurs replaced Europa League-winning coach Ange Postecoglou with former Brentford boss Frank at the start of the summer.

His squad will have to compete on several fronts, including in the UEFA Champions League and Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a massive blow as another of their top transfer targets has turned them down after missing out on Eberechi Eze.

Following weeks of reports linking Crystal Palace star Eze with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, a shocking report on Wednesday night revealed that he had instead completed a move to London rivals Arsenal.

The England international had reportedly agreed terms with Spurs and was set to join later this week until a late bid from the Gunners turned his head, leading to him agreeing to sign a deal after Palace's Conference League clash with Fredrikstad on Thursday.

Since then, Spurs have been left scrambling in the transfer market as they look to bring in a new statement signing before the window closes of September 1.

But a new report has revealed that they have been dealt yet another blow in the transfer market, as their next top target has publicly confirmed that he will not join Spurs this summer.

After James Maddison suffered a devastating injury in pre-season that will likely rule him out of the entire 2025/26 season, Spurs immediately began looking for a new number 10 in the transfer window.

Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White was their first choice, but the Englishman decided instead to pen a new deal with his current club, leading Spurs to their failed pursuit of Eze.

After missing out on the Crystal Palace forward, the Lilywhite have turned their attention to several other options, including Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, who recently took home the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

But now, Rogers appears to have shut down any rumours that he could leave the midlands club this summer in an interview with The Times.

When asked about Villa's attitude that he is not for sale this summer, he said: “I’m happy here. I love football. I love nothing more than just coming out on the pitch and playing football and that’s what I’m doing.

"I don’t think about anything else. I can’t predict the next 12 months or anything in the future. It’s just about playing football, enjoying my football and showing everyone what I can do.”

An Arsenal player has decided to leave the club in a transfer set to be agreed just hours after the signing of Eberechi Eze.

Following months of reports linking Crystal Palace star Eze with a move to the Emirates, recent reports have suggested that the deal has finally been completed.

Despite the England international reportedly agreeing terms with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, a late bid from Arsenal turned his head and he is now set to sign a contract with the Gunners after Palace's Conference League clash with Fredrikstad on Thursday.

It is believed that Arsenal will pay a transfer fee worth around £68million for the 27-year-old, who joined the Eagles from Queen's Park Rangers in the summer of 2020 in a deal worth around £17m.

But it appears that not everyone at Arsenal is impressed by the transfer, as one player is set to leave the club before the window closes despite Eze's imminent arrival.

Throughout the summer several Arsenal players have left the club, including Kieran Tierney, Jorginho and Takehiro Tomiyasu who all left the club following the end of their contracts.

The likes of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli have also been linked with a transfer away from the club, but it appears that goalkeeper Karl Hein will be the next to leave.

In recent weeks, the Estonian keeper has been top of the list for SV Werder Bremen as the Bundesliga side lost first choice keeper Michael Zetterer to rivals Eintracht Frankfurt.

According to German outlet Kicker, free agent Alexander Schwolow, who had been under contract with league rivals Union Berlin until July, was also part of the shortlist, but Werder Bremen have now decided to pursue Hein.

The 23-year-old, who has 39 international caps for Estonia, spent last season on loan with Spanish club Real Valladolid CF, who finished bottom of La Liga last season.

Hein made 31 La Liga appearances for Valladolid last season, keeping just five clean sheets and conceding 68 goals.

However, it appears that Hein will have to fight for his place in Werder Bremen's starting lineup, with 21-year-old Mio Backhaus expected to become the staring keeper at the club having deputised Zetterer last season.

Seemingly confirming this, Zetterer offered words of encouragement to the youngster when speaking to fans before his move to Frankfurt.

He said: "Do me a favour: Support the young man who will now be between the posts, just as you supported me."

Arsenal completed an unreal transfer hijack as they pipped north London rivals Tottenham to the signing of Eberechi Eze.

Spurs had cooled their interest in the Crystal Palace star earlier in the summer but returned for Eze after James Maddison suffered a season-ending ACL injury at the start of August. In that time, Arsenal, who were the frontrunners for the 27-year-old, opted to step away from any potential deal for the attacker.

However, confirmation that Kai Havertz had sustained a knee injury on Wednesday prompted Arsenal to dip back into the market for Eze and they are close to confirming his arrival from Palace having been given the ‘Here We Go!’ treatment from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

Spurs miss out on Eze to Arsenal

Palace boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed, though, that Eze will start for the south London side when they take on Fredrikstad in their UEFA Conference League playoff on Thursday night.

“Many of you were surprised [Eze] and Marc [Guehi] started against Chelsea, most of you will be surprised that they will start again tomorrow,” the Austrian is quoted as saying by The Standard.

“They are committed to the team. The player gives 100% because he is under contract. We don't have to say thank you every day, he is getting a few pounds every week.”

That has heightened worries that Eze would therefore be cup tied for Arsenal’s Champions League campaign with the former QPR man tipped to make his European debut in what is expected to be his final Palace appearance.

Fear not though Arsenal fans as Eze will be fine to take part in Europe’s elite club competition this season.

Will Eze be banned from the Champions League?

UEFA regulations allow for a player to represent more than one club per season in their competitions, but only under certain stipulations. A player who represents a team in a playoff or qualifying for any of UEFA’s top three competitions – Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League – can then represent a different side from the league phase of another competition.

As Palace’s meeting with Fredrikstad on Thursday night is a playoff, he is therefore free to represent Arsenal in the league phase of the Champions League.

The Gunners have already progressed to the league stage of Europe’s elite competition having finished second in the Premier League, meaning they’ll have no issues registering Eze for the Champions League next month.

Eze is set to be the latest in a long line of new additions at the Emirates, with Arsenal busy in the market as they look to end a lengthy wait for the Premier League title.

The Gunners have added Kepa, Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke to the squad already this summer.