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Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham headline the latest round-up of Premier League transfer rumours.

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It’s time for Thursday’s round-up of all the freshest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours, and today we’re going to start with a story which suggests that Aston Villa may face a bit of a battle to keep hold of a key player this summer.

A new report from Football Insider mentions that Manchester City could launch a bid to re-sign academy graduate Morgan Rogers this summer following an impressive season in the Midlands – but Villa are “confident” that they can hang on to their attacking midfielder.

Rogers, who never made a senior appearance for City before leaving, would apparently be “hesitant” to head back to the Etihad after making such good progress with his current club, and in any case only recently signed a new deal which will keep him with Villa for another five years.

Villa, for their part, don’t want to lose Rogers and are “hopeful” that they can persuade him to stay put if Manchester City do firm up their interest with a bid. Separately, the article also adds its voice to recent rumours linking Villa with a move for Chelsea’s Noni Madueke.

The 3AM Verdict: We’re not sure there is any serious interest from City in Rogers, quite frankly, and it’s not something we’ve heard from any reliable outlets as yet. As the article points out, this isn’t a point in Rogers’ career at which we’d expect him to push for a move. Keeping at the club should be straightforward – but that may not be the case with Marcus Rashford…

Serie A side have ‘dream’ of signing Spurs star

Villa aren’t the only club in danger of losing a key attacking midfielder, it would seem – Sport Witness have dug up some stories from Italy which suggest that Napoli’s “dream” signing would be Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski.

The report is sceptical of the claim, noting that Spurs would likely need a fee in excess of anything Napoli are willing or able to pay even if the player did decide to pursue a move to the Italian title contenders.

Still, Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna is supposedly “at work to try and make the transfer happen”, and the financial hurdles don’t seem to be dissuading the Serie A side just yet. Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho remains a back-up plan after being linked with a move in January.

The 3AM Verdict: As with Rogers, we really doubt that Kulusevski will go anywhere, although it’s easier for a side bound for the Champions League to make a strong case to the player himself. Garnacho seems to be a much more realistic option as it stands.

West Ham ‘offer contract’ to Southampton man

Finally, some news on a slightly understated but potentially significant race for one of the Premier League’s more in-demand free agents – TBR Football allege that West Ham have “offered a contract” to full-back Kyle Walker-Peters, who is set to leave Southampton on a Bosman following their relegation.

Walker-Peters was among the small handful of Saints players to emerge from a desperate season with any credit, and the former England international is in “high demand” with Tottenham Hotspur also speaking to the player’s representatives.

Fulham and Crystal Palace have also “shown an interest”, apparently, and Chelsea are supposedly “monitoring” Walker-Peters’ situation in case they want to add some depth and experience down the sides of the defence – but it’s West Ham who have made the first move and perhaps edged ahead in the race.

The 3AM Verdict: Walker-Peters has quietly compiled another very solid season despite the struggles Southampton have endured and while he might not be a flashy addition to a Premier League squad, he has experience and quality and wouldn’t cost a penny up front. As such, we’re not surprised that there’s a queue.

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Aston Villa’s unlikely Chelsea raid headlines the latest Premier League transfer rumours.

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A new week is underway, but out duties at 3 Added Minutes remain much the same – keeping you up to date with all the latest Premier League transfer rumours courtesy of our daily digest of some of the spiciest new stories.

We’ll start things off today with a story which suggests that the odds of seemingly unlikely deal between Aston Villa and Chelsea “have increased” – Caught Offside reckon that Villa are among the sides interested in striking an agreement over England winger Noni Madueke.

Madueke could, apparently, be forced down the pecking order at Chelsea by new additions to the front line this summer, and it’s also claimed that the club have “been less than impressed with [his] attitude during training”.

Villa will have “significant funds to spend” this summer, it’s said, and Madueke could be a target even if permanent deals for Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio can be completed. They’ll have competition for Madueke, however, with AC Milan also taking a look.

The 3AM Verdict: Madueke was an important part of some of Chelsea’s better attacking performances this season and their output in the final third declined noticeably after he was injured, so we do wonder if he really will be so far down in their estimation – the again, we aren’t at Cobham or in the dressing room, so perhaps there are problems. No transfer fee is mentioned, but we’re still not entirely convinced that this is all that likely to happen. With Cheslea, however, we’re always left guessing as to who they might buy or sell next.

Spurs show ‘considerable interest’ in Brazilian wonderkid

Over to a story for Tottenham Hotspur supporters, now – according to TeamTalk, Spurs are showing “considerable interest” in teenage striker Rayan, who has been earning warm reviews for his performances for Vasco da Gama in his homeland.

The 18-year-old has been likened to powerhouse striker Adriano and it sounds as though plenty of teams are keen, with the article noting that other outlets have linked the youngster with a long list of Premier League sides, including Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.

But Spurs are supposedly making “a real push” for Rayan as part of a commitment to signing top young talent, and have allegedly been tracking him since he was just 16. Rayan, who can also play on either wing, would provide depth across a front line which needs some extra bodies next year.

The 3AM Verdict: This feels like a somewhat speculative report, with no claims of negotiations or conversations taking place and no financial details, which always makes a rumour feel less likely to come good. Some form of bidding war does seem likely, however, even though Rayan’s scoring record at senior level is pretty modest so far.

Manchester United ‘very much like’ Serie A star

We’re going to hear a lot about Manchester United’s alleged targets this transfer window – nothing new, of course, but with their extended rebuild still in progress, the club’s name will come up in plenty of columns like this over the coming months, as it does today courtesy of a Sport Witness story.

They cites sources from the Italian media in claiming that Manchester United “very much like” Fiorentina defender Pietro Comuzzo, who seems set to leave La Viola after talks over a new contract broke down.

Apparently, they turned down a €35m (£29.8m) offer from Napoli in January but Comuzzo’s refusal to sign a new deal has changed the situation, and United lead “extensive interest” from the Premier League. Spurs, Newcastle, Chelsea and Arsenal are all also said to be looking at the talented 20-year-old.

The 3AM Verdict: One for the future when United perhaps need players who can improve them now, but since when has that stopped them? Still, this is a new rumour to us so we’ll believe it when we’ve seen a little more corroboration. That said, the chance that he leaves certainly puts another intriguing talent on the radar this summer, whether he ends up at United or not.

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Tottenham Hotspur are expected to be busy this summer transfer window

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Tottenham Hotspur find themselves in the unusual position of mid-table obscurity as top-flight teams around them prepare for the final run-in and the business end of the season.

Typically Spurs have been a club that always battle for some form of European football and in recent times only finishing in a Europa League spot as opposed to the Champions League has been classed a disappointing showing.

However, the Lillywhites for just the second time since 2006 find themselves at risk of having no football on the continent next season, unless they can do something they haven’t done since 1984 and win the Europa League this season.

Spurs have not finished outside the top 10 since 2008, which was ironically the last season in which the club won silverware. They also find themselves closer to the relegation places than Champions League football, with an 18 point gap separating themselves and fourth placed Chelsea after Thursday’s defeat.

The North London outfit have been unfortunate with injuries throughout the season, which in some way can explain the team’s poor performances. However, it feels almost inevitable that the team will once again have to spend big in the summer window if they are to bridge the gap between themselves and the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United and Aston Villa, who have all made strides in recent seasons. With that in mind, we take a look at the seen deals already in the pipeline in the capital.

Defensive stalwart faces uncertain future

London World understands Tottenham could face a tricky situation this summer amid talk of a possible departure for star defender Cristian Romero.

The outlet explains that the Argentine centre back could seek a move away from London if they don’t achieve European qualification this year, with reports elsewhere also stating a sale could be considered due to the 26-year-old’s poor recent injury record.

Trembath said on the latest Spurs podcast: “He's a real key player. Yes, he's missed a number of games through injury, not once but twice in terms of seasons at Spurs. But he's a real leader. He's a top player. And you have to admit, they've probably missed him at the best of times this season. It's a bit of the curious case of Cristian Romero, I think, sometimes. World Cup winner, Copa America winner, always seems to be available for Argentina. A lot of Spurs fans are a little bit sceptical about that.”

He added amid talks of an exit: “Atletico Madrid are linked with him, Aston Villa are linked with him. All the signs are that he's got two years left on his deal and he'll be walking away this summer.

Tottenham plot £75m statement signing

Christian Romero’s potential exit could spark a fresh push from Tottenham to sign former Chelsea defender Marc Guehi this summer.The England international, who was heavily linked with Newcastle United last summer, will have one year remaining on his contract by the start of next season and could be someone that the Eagles cash in on to avoid losing on a free.

TBR Football claims that the Lillywhites are huge admirers of Guehi, who could take their defence to the next level this season after impressing at Selhurst Park.

A shrewd free agent arrival

Tottenham and West Ham are both believed to be interested in soon to be out-of-contract Lille star Angel Gomes this summer.

The Manchester United academy graduate is expected to leave the Ligue 1 side this summer and could seek a move back to English football to boost his World Cup 2026 chances after finally breaking into the Three Lions team during Lee Carsley’s brief stint as England interim boss before Thomas Tuchel’s permanent arrival at Wembley Stadium.

Football Insider understands the North London side have already held talks with Gomes’ representatives as they push hard to secure a deal. In a further boost it’s also widely reported that Gomes has already turned down an offer in excess of £100,000 a week by West Ham with his preference reportedly being a return to North London after growing up in Edmonton.

A big £40m forward signing

Mathys Tel's move to Tottenham from Bayern Munich is a six-month loan deal with an option to buy. The Frenchman is yet to score in seven appearances across all competitions and hasn’t yet reached the heights expected of him after showing great promise under Thomas Tuchel earlier in his Bundesliga career.

However, he is thought to be one for the future and potentially a player that could prove a great understudy to Dominic Solanke in attack next season as Ange Postecoglou’s side look to bounce back from a disappointing campaign.

Trio leave Tottenham for free

Former Real Madrid full-back Sergio Reguilon arrived at Spurs with great promise and impressed in his early months with his excellent attacking instincts and pinpoint crossing.

However, due to a combination of injuries, poor form and a number of underwhelming loan spells, it appears he’s now surplus to requirements as he approaches the end of his contract.

Backup goalkeeper Fraser Forster also has just months remaining on his deal with the club and at 37 could move onto pastures new at the end of the campaign. Long-serving defender Ben Davies has also found first team opportunities hard to come by this year and is at risk of leaving this summer after an 11-year association with the Lillywhites.

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A former Man United prospect is attracting interest from numerous Premier League clubs

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Former Manchester United wonderkid Angel Gomes is expected to be at the centre of a huge transfer tug of war this summer, as he approaches the final few months of his contract at Lille.

Give Me Sport are just one of a number of outlets to claim that the four-time England international has decided against signing an extension with Ligue 1 side Lille, with a return to English football looking like the most likely proposition.

Gomes has played a combined total of 134 matches for his current club and has earned experience in the Champions League, Europa Conference League and Ligue 1 over the last four years whilst evolving into a very different midfielder to the one that left English football back in 2020.

The 24-year-old midfielder has four senior caps for the England national team which all came during Lee Carsley’s short-interim stint with England. He now has high hopes of being a part of Thomas Tuchel’s team in just over 12 months time at the 2026 World Cup, despite failing to make his initial squad. But who is Angel Gomes, why are the big clubs interested in him, and where is he likely to end up this summer?

Who is Angel Gomes?

Angel Gomes is a 24-year-old midfielder, who was born in North London in Edmonton. He joined the highly esteemed Manchester United academy at the age of six and quickly made a name for himself at Carrington. He progressed rapidly through the age groups, while establishing himself as an exciting, technically gifted midfielder.

Gomes was initially viewed as an attacking playmaker, and was even compared to Ronaldinho, when he won the highly esteemed Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year for United’s reserve team in 2017 - an achievement which saw him follow in the footsteps of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Marcus Rashford and Danny Welbeck among others.

The 5ft 6in midfielder was a regular for England from Under-16 level all the way up to the Under-21s. Between 2015 and 2023, he racked up 54 appearances at various age groups winning the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 with Steve Cooper, while also winning the Under-21 European Championship with Lee Carsley in 2023.

Gomes made just 10 first team appearances during his time at Old Trafford and after finding first team opportunities limited, chose to leave the Red Devils on a free transfer despite having numerous contract offers to stay.

He joined Lille on a free transfer in 2020 but spent his first year out on loan with Boavista in Portugal. He was integrated into the team the following year and ultimately made the defensive midfield position his own. Despite his relatively small frame, he was praised for his ability to break up play, keep possession and unlock defences in deeper areas, with his composure on the ball and ability to spin past opponents on the half term among his eye-catching attributes.

Gomes was integral to England’s success with Carsley at Under-21 level, and displayed glimpses of his ability for the senior side during the same manager’s brief interim spell in charge of the senior side.

West Ham look set to miss out on Angel Gomes

The Premier League is clearly, the most likely destination for Angel Gomes but Guardian Sport revealed West Ham as unlikely candidates to land the 24-year-old.

The outlet explained: “West Ham’s proposal of a deal worth £100,000 a week to the England midfielder, who is of interest to Barcelona, is not high enough. There are other complications to iron out if the move is to go ahead and multiple sources are not confident an agreement will be reached."

Meanwhile, reports from London World suggested that Tottenham have already kickstarted talks to bring Gomes to north London, as they look to revamp their squad after their worst league campaign in more than a decade. However, they won’t be alone in their pursuit, and United - amid speculation surrounding the future of Kobbie Mainoo - could also look to re-sign a former academy prospect who is familiar with the area.

Wherever Gomes eventually moves is likely to partially depend on his chances of representing the Three Lions at the upcoming World Cup, and trying to find a home in Thomas Tuchel’s new-look team. With Spurs desperate for his skills in the heart of their struggling midfield, Gomes could find himself the ideal platform to finally prove himself as one of England’s most exciting talents.

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Chelsea let one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League leave - but will they sign him back this summer, or will Spurs get there first?

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It’s four years since Chelsea made a significant mistake in the transfer market. It’s wasn’t the first, of course, and it most certainly wasn’t the last – but in the context of this summer, it could be one of their most expensive.

In 2021, Marc Guéhi was sold to Crystal Palace for a reported £18m, give or take a few incentives and bonus payments. Now, he’s somewhere near the top of their shopping list as they look to continue their progress under Enzo Maresca – but he’s likely to cost closer to £70m, and to compound the error of letting him leave Stamford Bridge in the first place, Tottenham Hotspur want him too. So will Chelsea get their man?

Chelsea “hurt” Marc Guéhi – but he could still come back

Speaking to Sky Sports in 2022, a year after he had left Chelsea, Guéhi made it clear that his departure from the club had not been something he’d personally pushed for.

“It hurt a lot just because I was there for such a long time”, he said. “It's such a different feeling leaving there and not going back to where you've been for so long. But in order to grow, sometimes you have to take the hard choice and take the hard path sometimes.”

The hard path worked out pretty well. Guéhi had made his England debut a few months earlier, and a few years later has established himself as a Three Lions regular and one of the Premier League’s most in-demand defenders, as aptly demonstrated by Newcastle United’s protracted pursuit of him last summer.

That transfer saga not only demonstrated Guéhi’s value to clubs further up the Premier League’s financial ladder than Crystal Palace, but also gives us a starting price for his services – around £70m. If Chelsea do bring him back, they will be registering a significant loss against an already eyebrow-raising balance sheet.

Still, Chelsea need a new centre-back – a parade of defenders who failed to live up to expectations from Kalidou Koulibaly to Axel Disasi has neatly demonstrates that much – and Guéhi is one of the best likely to be on the market. Re-signing him might be galling for their accountants, but widespread reports make it clear that they want their man. At least they could be confident that they would finally have a high-end partner for Levi Colwill.

Guéhi is, at this stage, among the best positional defenders in the top flight, wins a remarkably high number of one-on-ones, rarely misjudges a tackle and has the fundamental technical quality to be press-resistant and to help his team play out from the back. It’s a list of qualities that Chelsea are lacking.

The problem, of course, is cost. It’s not yet clear whether Palace will fight so hard to keep as they did last summer given that his contract only has one more year to run (a factor which may well nudge his price in a more affordable direction, just about), but Chelsea have been teetering on the brink of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules for a while now. To sign Guéhi, they will have to make space on that balance sheet, especially if they miss out on a Champions League spot.

Which opens up an awkward question – what will Chelsea have to sell in order to afford Guéhi, if he is indeed their preferred target? They may be able to move on a few players like Christopher Nkunku and João Félix, but there is every chance that they’re back on the home-grown player merry-go-round. Who would be the next Conor Gallagher? There’s a real chance that their only high-value saleable academy-produced asset is, in fact, Colwill. Even by Chelsea’s inconsistent standards in the transfer market, selling one to buy the other makes precious little sense.

But perhaps that’s a pitfall they can avoid. Only the people who have access to the credit cards really know whether the club’s financial position can permit them access to the player they want. But even if it does, there is no guarantee that they will get him.

Spurs offer competition in battle for big signing

Buying Guéhi back might be a bit embarrassing from a financial perspective and from the point of view of the club’s reputation for identifying and nurturing talent – this is the club that quickly gave up on Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne, after all – but that won’t matter if he signs and plays to his best. Unfortunately, they aren’t the only club that want him.

It sounds like Newcastle won’t make a second attempt to sign the 24-year-old, although there’s always a chance that changes, but Tottenham Hotspur certainly seem keen, based on a slew of transfer stories. They may have a historic reputation for steering clear of big-money signings, but after splashing £65m on Dominic Solanke (another Chelsea cast-off, of course) there are indications that they’ll spend big on the right player.

Their need could for a centre-back could be just as dire, especially if reports claiming that Atlético Madrid want to sign Cristian Romero are true. Spurs’ defence needs Guéhi’s poise, and Postecoglou’s aggressive playing style will appreciate his ability to play high up the pitch and in tight spaces without making mistakes.

Spurs’ struggles this season may make them a less attractive proposition come the summer, but Chelsea aren’t guaranteed a berth in the top four (or five, as may be the case with the Premier League likely to get an extra Champions League spot) and they may not have a much stronger sales pitch.

Perhaps Guéhi would be especially keen to return to his former club and prove himself anyway. Perhaps the progress made under Maresca makes a return to Stamford Bridge attractive enough in its own right, regardless of their final league position. But there is a world in which Chelsea’s initial mistake is compounded once more.

How much salt does a wound need? It’s one thing to burn £50m or more buying a player who was on your books just a few years ago, perhaps another to watch them promptly head to a cross-city rival. Selling Guéhi to Palace may yet prove to be an unforced error on a par with Salah and De Bruyne yet.

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Spurs are set for a busy summer - we track the transfer deals that are in Tottenham’s pipeline.

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Few clubs in the Premier League are likely to have more pressing needs in the summer transfer window than Tottenham Hotspur. A disappointing campaign has revealed a lack of depth and quality within the squad, and the manager – whether that’s Ange Postecolgou, Andoni Iraola, or someone else entirely – is almost certain to press for reinforcements and upgrades.

In particular, Spurs are likely to add a centre-back, at least one central midfielder and some extra firepower up front, although whether they will land all their targets will depend once again on chairman Daniel Levy’s notoriously thorough negotiating technique.

The rumour mill is churning an endless stream of names and keeping track of which transfers are likely to happen and which are more implausible is challenging, but as we spend a lot of time tracking transfer stories and the various claims and counter-claims concerning various players’ likely futures, we thought it would be helpful to offer a run-down of the five deals that are furthest along based on what we’re hearing and the strength of the sources involved.

Angel Gomes among midfielders likely on their way

Spurs are likely to sign two central midfielders this summer, especially if Postecoglou remains in his post, and this is the position in which we have the clearest picture of the likely moves that will be made.

Widespread reports dating back as far as January have not only claimed that Lille and England man Angel Gomes is a key target, but that the impending free agent himself prefers a move to Spurs over other alleged options, which are expected to include West Ham.

Given that his contract with Lille is running down this summer, the Manchester United academy graduate will no doubt have options on the table and it’s possible that another club come in with an offer he can’t refuse, but the sheer persistence of stories that Gomes has settled on a switch to Spurs and that the club have made him a priority means that we expect this to be a deal that is more likely to happen than not.

Another probable signing is Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso, a 23-year-old American international midfielder who has impressed in La Liga this season. Spurs negotiated a purchase option worth a reported €25m (£21m) for Cardoso as a part of the deal which took Giovani Lo Celso to Seville, and as such this is a straightforward deal to get done at a price point which comes pre-approved by Levy.

Spurs have not yet triggered the option and it doesn’t guarantee that rival bids won’t emerge, but it seems highly probable that Spurs make a bid and that Cardoso himself would be happy to move to the UK – he has already told the media that Spurs’ interest makes him feel “valued”.

Assuming both the Gomes and Cardoso deals get over the line, that would probably be it for spending on the midfield, with current player Yves Bissouma liable to make way for the new reinforcemets.

Tottenham Hotspur targeting big-money defenders and strikers

There’s rather more confusion as to Tottenham’s primary transfer targets in other areas, but we can be confident that a centre-back is on the menu, especially given recent reports that Atlético Madrid are keen to land Cristian Romero this summer as Diego Simeone’s side aim to add to their growing Argentine army.

A deal for loanee Kevin Danso has already been agreed but Spurs will look to add one more player to the back line – but working out who tops their list isn’t easy, and it’s likely that a definitive decision has not yet been made.

The player most persistently linked with Spurs over the last few months has been Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi, and there is undoubtedly interest in the England standout – but Chelsea have him near the top of their list, too, and given their free-spending tendencies could easily outbid Spurs. Given that Guéhi would almost certainly cost at least £60m and potentially rather more, it’s also very possible that Levy would prefer to look for a cheaper deal.

One player who is starting to gain significant traction as a transfer target is Sporting’s Ivorian centre-back Ousmane Diomande. A staple of last summer’s rumour mill, the 21-year-old is a talented and highly technical defender in a broadly similar vein to Micky van de Ven, and reports (including a recent story from TBR Football) suggest that he could be available for around £50m. A bid is far from guaranteed, however.

Spurs will also try to add some players to their front three, with both a winger and a striker firmly on the radar. Spurs’ interest in Tyler Dibling is genuine, but with Southampton reportedly hoping to hold out for £100m and clubs such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool also keen, a deal will be very difficult to get done.

A laundry list of alternatives has been suggested, with Leon Bailey and Dango Ouattara suggested over the past week, but the strongest link is with Ouattara’s Bournemouth team-mate Antoine Semenyo. Liverpool and Newcastle are both sniffing around, too, and the Cherries have reportedly slapped a £70m price tag on his head, which would have to be negotiated down. Nevertheless, Spurs have genuine interest in the Frenchman, who can operate effectively on either flank, and while we wouldn’t say a deal is probably by any means, it’s likely that Spurs at least try to negotiate a better price.

Finally, Spurs will surely try to add a striker to compete with Dominic Solanke, and we believe that their priority is Jonathan David – the Canadian striker is, like Gomes, soon to leave Lille on a free transfer and while he would demand high wages, the combination of a reduced up-front cost and his goal-scoring record mean that he is very much of interest to Spurs.

Plenty of other striker-needy sides have David on their shortlist too, but for most clubs he’s a back-up plan rather than a first choice, which isn’t the case with Spurs. Matheus Cunha from Wolves is a possible alternative if David goes elsewhere, but the expense involved is making him a little less attractive as it stands.

Spurs’ plans in defence and up front are fluid and will be dictated in part by the market – if, for instance, Liverpool or Newcastle do open up a big-money bidding war for Semenyo, it’s more likely that Spurs will switch to a secondary target rather than get involved too heavily, so much may change. But as it stands, Gomes and Cardoso look very likely to move to Spurs this summer, and we expect five first-team additions in total unless something unexpected happens. Which, this being the transfer window, it surely will…

For the first time ever, Arsenal will play Spurs overseas in a pre-season friendly - but is that a bad thing?

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For the first time in the modern history of the game, fierce local rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will meet in what is typically a less-than-ferocious environment – a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong before the start of the 2025/26 season. It will be the first North London Derby ever played abroad, and it’s a fixture which is generating a steady amount of backlash.

For some fans, it’s a frustrating breach of tradition, one of the most important matches in the calendar for either side relegated to the status of a warm-up match. For others, the concerns are more pragmatic, with supporters picturing crunching tackles flying in. Given how badly both teams’ seasons have been impacted by injuries, it’s perhaps an understandable concern.

But while a money-spinning friendly in East Asia may rankle with some supporters who dislike the trajectory of modern football, the concerns are probably – probably – unfounded. This may be new territory for Arsenal and Spurs, but this is familiar territory for the sport as a whole.

Why Arsenal & Spurs playing in pre-season isn’t such a bad thing

In August, Barcelona and Real Madrid faced off in the first Clásico of the season. The Spanish league, however, was still two weeks away from starting, and the match took place in New York.

It was the fourth time that arguably football’s biggest rivalry had taken place in the United States and, as it happened, the fourth time that Barcelona had won. The match was competitive, with relatively strong teams and plenty of action in a game that finished 2-1. But it was not, by any means, ill-tempered.

The North London Derby and El Clásico share much of the same DNA, and tempers boiling over is par for the course in either fixture. When Barcelona thrashed Real 4-0 in La Liga a few months later, there were seven yellow cards, but that’s the low end. In the Spanish Super Cup final in January, there were ten cards, one red. When they meet again in May, the chances are that sparks will fly in one direction or another, and it’s the same story for many north London derbies.

But the match in New York, while contested at pace and with plenty of effort put in, was a level-headed affair. Four bookings had to be handed out, but there were no scything, swinging tackles, no mass brawls, no real rancour. Over the course of the match, 26 fouls were committed – high for a friendly, perhaps, but only one more than happened when Barcelona played AC Milan a few days later.

Players, ultimately, don’t like getting injured in meaningless matches and for the most part have the common courtesy and fundamental professionalism not to needlessly risk injuries to the opposition, even when they’re the hated enemy. It probably helps that the crowd isn’t the same baying, seething mass that it might be in a normal game between such sides.

It probably doesn’t hurt matters that while players often attune themselves to the needs and desires of the fans, the majority of players involved in north London derbies aren’t dyed-in-the-wool Gooners or Spuds themselves. For the most part, players know that a friendly derby isn’t a “real” one. It’s unlikely that Arsenal or Tottenham go at it all hammers and tongs, although nobody truly knows until it’s actually happened.

In any case, this is only really new territory for these two teams, and plenty of sides have faced rivals on foreign soil in the name of making a quick buck, usually without dire consequences.

Injuries happen, of course, even in games that aren’t being played at full tilt. Manchester United fans know that well enough, given that Rasmus Højlund and Leny Yoro both picked up bad injuries playing Arsenal on tour last summer, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindelöf took knocks playing Liverpool shortly thereafter. That wasn’t a testament to the spirit in which the games were played, however, as was hinted at when they separately saw Marcus Rashford and Antony come off with injuries against Real Betis, scarcely United’s greatest rivals.

The precedent set by other sides playing grudge matches in such environments suggests that it’s unlikely to be an especially vitriolic affair, and the odds of injury are likely no greater than they are in similar matches against less local opposition. Still, perhaps that itself is a frustration for some.

Why the dreams of supporters overseas should count for something

Does it cheapen the sense of occasion that surrounds the north London serby if a low-stakes edition of the game is played in Hong Kong? Perhaps a little, for a few fans, but it’s hard not to empathise with the position of the Premier League’s many global fans who simply don’t have the opportunity to watch these matches in the flesh under other circumstances.

Sure, the teams play these games to make money, not out of any sense of generosity towards their overseas supporters, but those supporters are often far more fervent in their fandom than they are given credit for.

American football hasn’t suffered for having regular season matches played abroad, and indeed the NFL’s global audience is soaring, in part because of those very matches played at Wembley or indeed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. An extra fixture was added to the NFL schedule to ensure that local fans didn’t ‘lose’ anything on the occasions that their teams played overseas, and a lot of people in the UK and elsewhere have been thrilled at the annual chance to watch a sport that otherwise happens an ocean and several time zones away.

There are plenty of Arsenal and Spurs fans who are “true fans”, every inch, in Hong Kong and the United States and elsewhere. Given the Premier League’s immense global audience, why wouldn’t there be? And why shouldn’t those fans have the occasional chance to experience a north London derby (or at least a replica of it) in their own country?

If football has become too commercialised, if it has swayed too far in the direction of making money at the expense of tradition and spectacle, then it hasn’t yet dampened enthusiasm among English fans for the product. This is a by-product of the game’s rampant globalisation, for good and for ill, and that horse has long since bolted in the direction of money-making markets outside of Europe.

But those markets exist because people in them are passionate about the teams and players and are often excited by the games they get to watch. In playing slightly more competitive, ‘serious’ games in pre-season we don’t yet seem to have encouraged additional injuries – the vast burden of the fixture schedule is a better target for anger there – but have perhaps gone back to an era when friendlies had a little more heft.

Back in the Fifties and Sixties, the best teams from South America would come to Europe and tour for weeks on end. The games weren’t just knock-abouts, either, but often both a chance for the best players to showcase their talents in front of wealthier European sides. They were mostly taken very seriously.

There’s sometimes a little bit of scoffing when, say, Péle’s goals in friendlies are counted as part of his career tally, but that’s viewing the past through a modern lens in which friendlies have become largely irrelevant beyond their capacity to aid conditioning.

There are a lot of ways in which the sport as a whole is much better now than it was in an age of grainy black-and-white footage and barely anything that resembled modern professionalism, but perhaps friendlies that people wanted to watch counted for something. When Santos or Botafogo or another team toured Europe, people watched. This is, perhaps, a similar sort of experience being extended to new footballing frontiers.

Only Arsenal and Spurs fans can know how they feel about the occasion, and it may rankle on an instinctive level in a way that can’t be rationalised – but there is good that can come from this beyond the pounds and pence that the clubs will earn. This is giving fans in other parts of the world a chance to experience something they previously never could, with fans in London itself losing very little. At least, so long as the players are as well-behaved as they usually are when Barcelona play Real Madrid.

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The latest Tottenham Hotspur injury news and expected return dates ahead of the Premier League fixture against Chelsea.

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Tottenham Hotspur are finally back in action again on Thursday evening when they make the short trip across the capital to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – but Ange Postecoglou will have concerns over the fitness of at least five players who are struggling with illness and injury.

The international break created one fresh concern, with midfielder Lucas Bergvall missing both of Sweden’s matches despite being called up and travelling with his national side – and there are four players out with longer-term issues, only some of whom have a chance to play against Chelsea.

We’ve got all the latest team news and expected return dates for Tottenham’s stricken players below – and if you’re looking for some helpful information ahead of the next Fantasy Premier League deadline, you can also check out our FPL expert’s latest advice column by clicking here.

Lucas Bergvall & Dejan Kulusevski among doubts

Spurs’ Swedish stars are among the regular starters in danger of missing out on Thursday, although there is at least a chance that both are named on Postecoglou’s team sheet.

Kulusevski missed the entirety of March with a foot injury and wasn’t involved in Sweden’s friendly matches against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland as a result, but Postecoglou had suggested previously that he could be back after the international break. There has been no update as yet confirming his availability, but he is expected to very close to a return.

Young midfielder Bergvall, meanwhile, was included in Jon Dahl Tomasson’s squad but didn’t play a minute after coming down with an illness. He was suffering with cold-like symptoms which were enough to keep him on the sidelines for his country, but it is expected that he should be well enough to play at least some part against Chelsea. That remains unconfirmed, but he was pictured training with his team-mates over the weekend, raising hopes that he will be well enough to play.

Richarlison closing in on return but Spurs defence still suffering

Another player who could feature against Chelsea is Richarlison. The Brazilian forward has endured a stop-start season due to a series of injury problems, and a recent calf issue has kept him out of action since the 4-0 EFL Cup defeat to Liverpool at the beginning of February.

Richarlison was already back in training on grass prior to the international break and although he wasn’t called up by Brazil, Postecoglou has previously said that he expected the former Everton man to be “there or thereabouts” when Spurs return to domestic action.

There is less clarity over the availability of centre-half Kevin Danso. The Austrian loanee has been dealing with a hamstring injury since early March and was initially pegged to return shortly after the international break, but there have as yet been no updates suggesting that he would be ready for Chelsea. If he misses out, he should be back within weeks assuming no further setbacks. Danso was not involved in Austria’s aggregate defeat to Serbia in the Nations League.

The only player who will certainly be absent on Thursday is defender Radu Draguşin, who is expected to miss the rest of the campaign due to a serious knee injury.

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A round-up of the latest Premier League transfer rumours, including news from Spurs, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and more.

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Welcome to Friday’s digest of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumour – and while we’ve got stories for Manchester City and Wolves fans coming up, we’re going to start off with a report which should raise a few eyebrows among Tottenham and Aston Villa fans…

TBR Football claim that Spurs “could be in the mix” to sign winger Leon Bailey this summer, with the Jamaica international less of a regular presence in Unai Emery’s starting XI as the season wears on.

Apparently, Spurs admired Bailey before his £25m move from Bayer Leverkusen four years ago, and according to this report they even made a phone call to Villa asking if he was available over the winter – as did Manchester United. Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig and Marseille are all said to be keen, too.

Bailey isn’t the only name on Tottenham’s radar, either – Sport Witness also carried a story yesterday which adds their name to the growing list of teams interested in a deal for Fiorentina forward Moise Kean, who seems to have shrugged off his Everton days and has started scoring freely in Serie A. He has a €52m (£43.2m) release clause this summer.

The 3AM Verdict: The Bailey link is a bit of a wildcard, in truth, but he was exceptional last season and it sounds like quite a few teams are prepared to be on his upside. No word on how much he might cost this time around, but Villa would presumably break even, give or take. Kean, incidentally, is now linked with just about every team in the Premier League.

Chelsea winger’s future back up in the air

Shortly after Chelsea’s João Félix joined AC Milan on loan, the rumour mill was awash with stories which suggested that the Portuguese winger was likely to move to the San Siro on a permanent basis in the summer – but that could be changing, according to a new report.

Spanish outlet Fichajes have noted that Félix is spending more and more time on the bench with Milan and “does not convince” the Rossoneri that he would be worth shelling out for.

With Chelsea still keen to sell, they suggest that a new possible suitor has emerged – Galatasaray. Apparently, the Turkish giants would be “willing to negotiate a loan deal” in the same vein as Victor Osimhen’s transfer last summer.

The 3AM Verdict: Presumably, Chelsea would prefer to sell Félix on a permanent basis, but they could struggle to get offers of the kind of size that they really want – so perhaps this could be a last resort. We normally caution anyone against trusting Fichajes, but the story seems to have originated in the Turkish media, so the usual caveats might not apply this time.

Wolves & Manchester City ‘attentive’ towards Spanish star

Let’s wrap things up today by going back to Sport Witness, who also had some news for fans of both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City – it seems that both sides were interested in signing Real Betis’ Sergi Altimira in January and remain “attentive” to his situation heading into the summer.

Betis are keen to keep hold of the 23-year-old holding midfielder and have offered him a new contract which runs until 2029 – but it seems set to contain a release clause in the region of €40-50m (around £33-41m), an amount which “could prove attractive” to the Premier League sides.

It’s not clear whether Altimira himself, a product of the Barcelona youth academy, would be keen on a move, but money tends to talk in these instances…

The 3AM Verdict: Altimira has earned rave reviews for his play since signing from Getafe in 2023 and Betis will turn a tidy profit if he does leave – we suspect that with a new deal on the table, it’s relatively unlikely to be this summer, however, and both teams may have more pressing positional needs.

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Tottenham have been heavily linked with Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, whose club have put a £100m price tag on his head

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Tottenham Hotspur are among the Premier League clubs to be made aware of Southampton’s staggering asking price for 19-year-old midfielder Tyler Dibling, in what could potentially be a huge setback towards the North London side’s transfer plans.

Spurs are currently 14th in the table out of both domestic cup competitions and are facing up to the grim prospect of having no football on the continent for just the second time since 2006 unless they can go all the way to glory in this year’s Europa League campaign.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have suffered from an avalanche of injury issues this season and are also facing up to the difficult reality that some of their big-hitters from years gone by are now approaching their twilight years, ramping up the need for improvement and a fresh injection of life.

This has led to calls from many fans and media outlets that midfielder Dibling could be the player to answer their problems. The teenager has only scored four times in 30 appearances across all competitions this season but has managed to stand out in a Southampton side which could finish the season as the worst in Premier League history if they continue on their current trajectory.

Dibling is blessed with speed, agility, good technique and an incredible ability to guide past defenders. However, the Saints despite the imminent prospect of relegation will not sell their crown jewel on the cheap and Telegraph Sport claim hat the Saints are only willing to part ways with Dibling if they receive a British record fee of over £100m, eclipsing the figure paid for Jack Grealish by Manchester City in 2021.

Tottenham already have a ready made midfielder in the ranks

Since signing for Tottenham for £30m from Leeds United, Archie Gray has played in a variety of positions including right-back, left-back and centre-back, but it wasn’t until 17 March in a 2-0 defeat to Fulham that Spurs actually got to see the teenager in his best position as a central midfielder from the start.

Gray played the full 90 minutes against Fulham and despite being on the losing team, was heavily praised by a number of outlets including the Athletic for his command over the midfield, his composure on the ball and his ability to anticipate danger and cut out opposition attacks.

“Gray was mainly responsible for putting out fires. There were not many occasions where he was able to show off his quality in possession,” said The Athletic’s Jay Harris, before adding: “Hopefully in the future, as he plays more regularly in central midfield, Gray will become more confident at taking risks in possession. Gray’s performance against Fulham was decent and he deserves further opportunities.”

What is Archie Gray’s best position?

Archie Gray’s versatility, work rate and promise in a difficult season has been one of the best things to come out of the campaign from Ange Postecoglou’s perspective but the teenager is still waiting for a run of games in his best position.

During his time with the Leeds team, Gray started 32 games in the Championship, the same number as Jude Bellingham did for Birmingham City, and a total bettered only by two players – Ryan Sessegnon and Gareth Bale, both of whom of course moved on to play for Tottenham. One of them was a pretty major success. Gray played most of his games for the Whites at right-back but it could be argued he played his best stuff in midfield.

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Opta Analyst says Gray is extremely comfortable on the ball and despite his age exudes confidence on the pitch. He constantly looks to receive to feet, can play off either foot and is effective at retaining possession, though he is by no means overly careful or cautious on the ball.

The outlet also notes that Gray had 97 tackles last term, the most by any Leeds footballer, while also recording an impressive 45 take-ons, the third highest behind other notable absentees Georgino Rutter and Crysencio Summerville while completing 85% of his passes attempted.

Gray is a completely different style of footballer to Dibling based on his early stages but if utilised properly, he could well prove to be Tottenham’s number six for the next decade in an area where the team has lacked the required quality this term.