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Tottenham could splash £169 million on three more stars this summer transfer window

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Thomas Frank could barely have hoped for a better start to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium especially given the off-field issues he’s faced already, but Spurs still have work to do in the transfer market to ensure they can capitalise on such a strong start to the season.

Last-minute high-profile snubs from Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze combined with James Maddison’s horrific knee injury threatened to derail Tottenham’s season before it had even got going but the arrival of Xavi Simons who could potentially be the best number 10 out of all four of those players has helped quell unrest from the stands.

The other key ingredient to the positivity has been Thomas Frank’s arrival as coach with the Dane managing to get Spurs looking more cohesive in four games than Ruben Amorim has had Manchester United playing in 45 - and for less money.

But with depth required at both ends of the pitch, who could Tottenham add in the final days of the transfer window?

Ademola Lookman - Atalanta

Tottenham’s reworked attack of Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison and Brennan Johnson has been a revelation so far, helping Frank’s side net multiple goals in their first three competitive games of 2025/26 against Manchester City, Burnley and PSG (though the Welshman didn’t feature in Udine) - Liverpool are the only other Premier League side to match that feat.

The addition of Simons should only add to that threat going forwards but even after the Dutchman’s arrival, Tottenham only have six primary wingers and attacking midfielders without long-term injuries, so further reinforcement is needed.

The Savinho deal looks dead in the water but don’t worry - there’ll be more than enough Premier League and even Mancunian representation in this list. Instead, bringing London-born Ademola Lookman home would be a smart piece of business from Daniel Levy and Tottenham are interested in the 27-year-old according to Fabrizio Romano.

Lookman has played for four English clubs (can you guess which?) but a late bloomer, his career only caught fire after moving to Atalanta in Serie A. There he’s recorded back-to-back-to-back seasons of over 10 goals and 20 goal contributions and last campaign he scored five in the Champions League.

He’s thrived as an attacking midfielder or second striker in Lombardy but has made 100 career appearances on the left flank and 64 on the right so possesses the versatility to thrive under Frank too if Spurs can meet the €55m (£47.6m) asking price or negotiate The Goddess down.

Morgan Rogers - Aston Villa

While Simons’ ceiling in the Premier League is higher than either Eze or Gibbs-White’s, his lack of experience in England is cause for concern with Florian Wirtz currently showing a period of adjustment can be needed even after lighting up the Bundesliga.

Signing Rogers would alleviate that worry and bring one of the most exciting attackers on the planet to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - if they can overcome Aston Villa’s £100m valuation.

Rogers lit up Villa Park last season with 30 goal contributions in claret and blue across the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League earning him an England call-up and there’s nothing to suggest he couldn’t translate that to similar or improved output under Frank’s tutelage.

Another option is Aston Villa’s proposed replacement for Rogers - Lucas Paqueta with the Brazilian perhaps a more realistic compliment to Simons. After a shaky pre-season and Premier League opener against Sunderland, Paqueta’s shown he could return to the player that Manchester City were set to pay £80 million for.

He backed up his confident long-range strike against Chelsea with a diving League Cup header against Wolves that showed his striker’s instinct is returning, and West Ham are prepared to part with Paqueta for at least £55m.

Nathan Ake or Manuel Akanji - Manchester City

Tottenham have expressed interest in both sky blue centre backs, as they look to make last-minute additions to a promising but thin defensive unit.

It’s thought that Manuel Akanji would cost at least £15m and Spurs would have to battle Galatasaray for his signature while GIVEMESPORT report Thomas Frank has been a long-time admirer of Nathan Ake who is valued at €25m (£21.6m) on Transfermarkt.

Lilywhite fans will be desperate to avoid a repeat of last season’s struggles at the back when the talented Archie Gray was shoehorned in at centre-back and looked like one of the worst players in the Premier League, but the cupboard remains bare behind first-choice pairing Cristian Romeo and Micky van de Ven.

Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai remain injured and unproven while Ben Davies turns 33 this season so Kevin Danso is the only reliable backup in the team right now, and adding either Ake or Akanji would be a real coup.

Both quality operators who’ve joined forces for two Premier League titles plus Champions League, Club World Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield triumphs, each player turned 30 this year and has two years remaining on his contract.

Neither player started Manchester City’s opening two domestic fixtures so given Ruben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol’s continued presence at the Etihad Stadium plus Pep Guardiola’s preference for running with a tight squad, there’s a strong case to be made for the Citizens cashing in on one of this pair while they still can.

The latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Spurs, Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle.

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With less than 72 hours to go before the Premier League transfer window slams shut – nobody ever closes it gently – we’re back with our latest round-up and review of some of the biggest transfer rumours currently doing the rounds, starting with a big story concerning Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

Fabrizio Romano claims via social media that Spurs have made an unexpected “approach” for Swiss defender Manuel Akanji, who has been linked with a move away from the Etihad but had been expected to head abroad.

The 30-year-old had seemed likely to go to AC Milan, who were “in talks” with City and are “ready to pay” £15m – which would be enough – but are still stuck in discussions regarding personal terms. Crystal Palace had also been mentioned as a possible destination.

Spurs are supposedly using that delay to come swinging in with a bid of their own, although they do have a back-up plan should that bid fail – Romano suggests that Akanji is “one of three names on their shortlist”.

The 3AM Verdict: Transfer fee and personal terms are unlikely to be a major problem if Spurs have indeed made a bid, so the question is whether Akanji himself is more interested in staying in the Premier League or enjoying a change of scenery. Given the ruthlessness Spurs displayed in their move for Xavi Simons yesterday evening, it could well be that they’re equally efficient in signing Akanji.

Liverpool ‘submit’ record-breaking bid for Alexander Isak

We’ve generally avoided reporting every last alleged update in the ongoing Alexander Isak transfer saga, if only because it all gets a little repetitive – but now Caught Offside seem to be the first to claim that Liverpool have finally made a formal second offer for the Swede, and if proved true, that could be significant.

Apparently, the Reds have “submitted a British transfer record bid” which is “around the £130m mark” – less than Newcastle’s initial asking price of £150m but still £20m more than the offer which Liverpool had rejected earlier this summer.

Despite not meeting Newcastle’s demands in full, the bid is said to be “on course” to be accepted after the Magpies agreed a deal to sign VfB Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade. Newcastle have received the offer and while they haven’t yet made a final decision on whether to accept it, they “have not abruptly rejected” this deal as they did last time around.

The 3AM Verdict: The stars finally seem to be aligning for Isak to get the move he wants so badly, and for Newcastle to get plenty of money and a strong replacement in the shape of Woltemade – but at the time of writing we’re still waiting for corroboration of this story, and of the finances involved.

Serie A star ‘in sights’ of Newcastle

Speaking of Newcastle, they’re already making plans to put that Isak money to good use, according to Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio – he suggests that Newcastle are “once again” targeting Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi.

The Italy international has been intermittently linked with a move away over recent weeks with the Magpies’ name coming up quite a bit, and now Di Marzio claims that he is firmly “in Newcastle’s sights” and that the two teams are “in talks” over a deal.

It will be “difficult” for the clubs to broker a deal, however, as Newcastle want to take Frattesi on loan with an option to buy, while Inter want a permanent deal sorted now for a fee of around €40m (£35m). The player’s thoughts on a move are not recorded.

The 3AM Verdict: This deal is far from guaranteed but has been in the works for a while, and there’s a will at both ends to get the deal done – so we suspect it will happen, although the haggling could drag on until deadline day itself.

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Once again, it’s time for our regular morning round-up and review of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours – and today, we’re kicking off with a pretty stunning story which should be of interest to supporters of both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

Quite a few different journalists have reported this one, but we’ll give Fabrizio Romano the tip of the hat this time – he claims that Spurs have unexpectedly started “club to club talks” with RB Leizpig over a last ditch move for Xavi Simons, who has already arrived in London due to Chelsea’s long-standing interest.

The Blues “remain in talks” with Leipzig over the Dutch playmaker, who had already agreed personal terms with the club ahead of a transfer that had widely been expected to take place once Christopher Nkunku’s sale was confirmed.

Another reporter from the German side, Philipp Hinze, also took to social media to suggest that Spurs had even made a formal offer which was “very close” to Leipzig’s €70m (£60m) asking price. According to Hinze, Chelsea have yet to make an offer of their own, meaning that a remarkable eleventh-hour transfer hijack could be on the cards.

It looks like it could well happen, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano declaring an imminent ‘Here We Go’ was not far off, stating: “Tottenham agree €60m fee with RB Leipzig for Xavi Simons! Official bid accepted, green light after #THFC sent formal bid following player’s encouragement. Spurs want deal done today also on player side + medical in the next hours. Here we go, expected soon.”

The 3AM Verdict: Simons and Chelsea have already been in contact for weeks and it appeared overwhelmingly likely that he would move to Chelsea, who will surely make their offer once the formalities of Nkunku’s switch to AC Milan are sorted – but Spurs are throwing a sudden Hail Mary up and are giving themselves a chance to sell their project. As things stand, it looks like he’s North London bound.

Newcastle linked with star Inter Milan striker as deadline day nears

There isn’t much left to say about Newcastle United’s transfer window at this stage, but their long and painful search for strikers might be set to take another turn even after the news concerning their eleventh-hour bid for Nick Woltemade broke yesterday – because the German isn’t the only player they’ve been asking after, at least according to the Argentine media, as helpfully relayed by Sport Witness.

Apparently, there were reports in Latin America which stated that Newcastle have been “contacting Lautaro Martínez’s agent” about the possibility of bringing the Inter Milan striker to St. James’ Park, a move which would come straight out of leftfield - not that there isn’t precedent for that based on the last 24 hours.

The story apparently worried an Inter website sufficiently to contact Martínez’s representatives themselves to check the veracity of the story, only for them to “dismiss” the suggestion out of hand, stating that he is “happy at Inter” and that there are “some questions that don’t even need an answer.” Which doesn’t sound very promising.

The 3AM Verdict: As Sport Witness notes, the original story seemed to have a single source with very little to back it up, so there was probably never anything in this in the first place – but if it was, then there’s nothing in Martínez’s agent’s response to encourage any hope of a very sudden swoop. Perhaps it’s evidence of how far Newcastle are casting their net in the closing stages of the window, but we doubt it’s more than that. Sorry, Newcastle fans. Woltemade will have to do.

Sunderland deal could ruin Crystal Palace bid

We’ll finish with a story from The Guardian which sees a potential domino effect spoiling Crystal Palace’s efforts to sign AS Monaco man Mohammed Salisu – all because of Sunderland.

They claim that with Sunderland “in talks” to complete a long-rumoured deal for Bologna defender Jhon Lucumí, the Serie A side have started to cast around for a replacement, and have settled on the same player as Palace: former Southampton centre-back Salisu.

Bologna see Salisu as a “potential replacement” for Colombian defender Lucumí and that could see them competing with Palace, who have already “approached” Monaco regarding a possible loan deal for the 26-year-old Ghanaian. Talks are said to be “ongoing”, and the deal would not be tied to whether Marc Guéhi stays or goes. Olympiacos are said to be interested as well.

The 3AM Verdict: Premier League clout and cash usually trumps Serie A, but that may depend on Salisu’s likely role with Palace and whether Bologna want him on loan as well or would try to sign him permanently. Nevertheless, we suspect that if Palace do want him, they’ll more than likely get him regardless of Sunderland’s efforts.

Tottenham Hotspur may not be able to sign Savinho so Thomas Frank needs to source an alternative

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Tottenham Hotspur have made a solid start to the new 2025/26 Premier League season under the guidance of Thomas Frank. The Dane was picked as their replacement for Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked at the end of the last campaign. The London outfit finished down in 17th place in the table last term but managed to get their hands on the Europa League trophy after beating Manchester United in the final in Bilbao.

Frank has won his first two league games in charge since his switch from fellow top flight side Brentford. They beat Burnley 3-0 on the opening day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They then went and won 2-0 against the odds against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last time out so they will be in confident mood at the moment.

Tottenham Hotspur need to eye Savinho alternative

According to Fabrizio Romano on X, Manchester City have no intention of selling Savinho to Spurs. Therefore, they will need to find alternative targets. With that in mind, Lazio's Gustavo Isaksen would be a good wildcard option.

Isaksen, 24, is someone who Frank will know all about already as he also hails from Denmark. He is an international for his country and has made nine caps since his debut back in 2024. The winger has been playing his football in Italy since 2023 and is under contract until 2028 meaning they are under no pressure to sell him just yert and can wait for the right offer to come in for his signature.

Like Savinho, he is a left-footed wide man who likes to cut in from the right. He would be much cheaper than the Brazilian and is only three years older. As per a report by CalcioMercato back in March, his price tag is said to be in the region of £35million.

Isaksen started his career at Roslev IK and rose up through their academy ranks. He was snapped up by FC Midtjylland in 2012 and went on to represent them at various different youth levels before breaking into the first-team. The Hjerk-born man made 138 appearances altogether and scored 33 goals, 22 of which came in his explosive last year as he was awarded the Golden boot. He won the Danish Superliga title in 2020 and the Danish Cup in 2022.

Why Gustav Isaksen would suit Tottenham Hotspur

Isaksen would give Spurs more competition and depth going the wing. If he joined, he would give them something different to call upon. He is similar to Savinho and although he doesn't have any experience of English football, he has proved he can perform at the top level in Italy.

Since being snapped up by Lazio, he has enjoyed plenty of game time. He has played 86 matches for the Serie A club to date and has become one of their key players. He has scored nine goals, as well as chipping in with 10 assists for his teammate.

He seems like the sort of player Brentford would have gone for under Frank over the past few years. If Spurs were able to nurture him and get the best out of him, there is no reason why he wouldn't be able to adapt quickly to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They need to think outside the box a bit with their recruitment and if they could save a few quid by getting Isaksen instead of Savinho, that would be beneficial to everyone.

The attacker is still relatively young and isn't in his prime yet. He still has plenty of years ahead of him in the game and this would be the perfect time to strike and sign him. Isaksen has got two years with Lazio under his belt now and seems ready to sink his teeth into something new.

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We haven’t got much time before the fax machines fall silent and the rumour mill creaks to a halt, but with a few days of the transfer window remaining, we’re still here with our regular round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting with a big story for Tottenham Hotspur fans.

According to TeamTalk, Spurs are planning to “break their transfer record” in order to convince Como youngster Nico Paz to make the move to North London this summer – but they may face a problem in the form of Real Madrid.

Spurs have been interested in Paz for some time and have supposedly seen at least one bid rejected by the Argentina international’s current club, but have now decided to lodge a record-shattering €80m (£70m) move in order to sign the 20-year-old attacking midfielder.

Even that “still might not get the deal done”, however, because Spanish giants Real Madrid are apparently trying to persuade Paz to wait a season so that they can sign him next summer – they are said to have “made it clear” that they will bring him to the Bernabeu next season if he waits. At least one Spanish media source apparently claims that this has “convinced him to stay” at Como for another year.

The 3AM Verdict: The Spanish press tend to overstate their teams’ positions in these cases, but the lure of Real is clearly very strong, so it’s possible that Paz turns a lucrative move to Spurs down – and not even certain that Como accept a bid anyway, as they have been pretty bullish about keeping a star player in the squad. This one could go down to the wire, and there’s no telling which way Paz will go.

Manchester United ‘on verge’ of £17m purchase

Fresh off the back of another bleak night for both André Onana and the club as a whole, Manchester United are said to be “on the verge” of sealing a €20m (£17m) deal to replace the Cameroonian goalkeeper – according to Caught Offside, among others.

The Red Devils are “closing in on an agreement” with Royal Antwerp for the signing of goalkeeper Senne Lammens, having improved their original offer by €3m – a “full agreement” is now in place, according to Caught Offside’s sources and negotiations are now in “the final stretch”.

The 23-year-old Lammens has only one season of regular first-team football under his belt but was massively impressive in Belgium, putting up a startling 81.4% save percentage for Antwerp.

The 3AM Verdict: This deal seems to be done, and United are taking a real gamble by signing such an unproven goalkeeper to compete with Onana for the starting spot – but if Lammens carries his form from last season to Old Trafford, he could easily be an improvement.

Aston Villa ‘to allow’ player to move to Nottingham Forest

Finally, a story from Football Insider which suggests that Nottingham Forest’s lengthy search for a new right-back could be close to a conclusion – it’s alleged that Aston Villa are “prepared to allow” Matty Cash to leave the club this summer amid interest from his former team.

Forest have “expressed an interest” in bringing Cash back to the City Ground five years after he left, while Villa have “concerns” over the Poland international’s performances and “feel they can improve” upon him by signing a new right-back themselves.

Finding a replacement is said to be a pre-requisite for a deal to take place, however, and a transfer will only be green-lit if an alternative is found. Outside of Forest, it’s said that Villa have been shopping Cash around but have been “struggling to drum up interest”. There’s no word on what the transfer fee might be.

The 3AM Verdict: The problem with assessing the likelihood of this transfer is that Forest have been linked with a whole host of right-backs, and it’s next to impossible to know which are their priority purchases. It’s also not clear how close Villa are to finding a replacement. One that comes down to deadline day, perhaps.

The latest Spurs injury news ahead of their Premier League clash with Bournemouth.

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On the field, everything has gone according to plan for Tottenham Hotspur and Thomas Frank over the course of the first fortnight of the new Premier League season – but injury issues have ensured that it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Spurs’ new head coach.

James Maddison is expected to miss the majority of the 2025/26 season with an ACL injury, already a bitter blow to Spurs’ ambitions of a return to the top four, and several other key players are also missing in action, including Destiny Udogie and Dejan Kulusvski, while summer signing Kota Takai is another stuck on the sidelines.

Ahead of Saturday’s match against Bournemouth, we’ve pulled together all the latest updates on Spurs’ stricken players alongside their expected return dates when available.

Will Destiny Udogie play against Bournemouth?

Italian left-back Udogie hasn’t played for Spurs since July due to a knee injury he picked up during the warm-up ahead of a pre-season game against Luton Town, but he is now closing in on a return with Frank describing the 22-year-old as “better” ahead of last weekend’s 2-0 win over Manchester City.

“He's trained with the team twice,” Frank told reporters. “Full training sessions… but he is just too short [of match fitness] to be involved for City. We want him to… have another good week next week as well, but he’s in a good place, looks very positive.”

No further setbacks have been reported and Udogie seems set to make his first appearance of the season against Bournemouth this weekend, although it is not clear that he will be fit enough to start and Djed Spence may well be in the XI once more to face Andoni Iraola’s side if Frank prefers to ease Udogie back into action.

Dejan Kulusevski & James Maddison injury updates

Spurs have two key starters who won’t feature for some time yet – Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, both of whom are recovering from serious knee injuries.

Kulsevski is expected to be the first back having been out of action since May, but Frank has refused to set a target return date at this stage of the recovery process, simply telling reporters that “it's a longer one” and that he doesn’t “want to put a time frame on it.”

As it stands, it’s unclear whether Kulusevski will play again in 2025, with The Evening Standard estimating that he won’t be available again until early next year – but that remains unconfirmed.

Maddison, for his part, will miss at least the majority of the season after undergoing surgery on a ruptured ACL sustained during pre-season. The most optimistic timeline would see him return in the final weeks of the campaign and it’s possible that he doesn’t play until the 2026/27 season.

Kota Takai out for ‘weeks’ with Yves Bissouma among other worries

Several other Spurs players are also out of action at the moment, including summer signing Takai, who has been sidelined for “weeks” with a plantar fascia injury – the band of tissue that runs across the sole of his foot.

The 20-year-old Japan international missed most of pre-season thanks to the issue and while Spurs have not provided a likely return date, the timeline suggests that he could be available to make his debut after the upcoming international break in early September.

Yves Bissouma also missed the win over Manchester City with an unspecified knock but even if passed fit to play against Bournemouth may not be selected as negotiations over a move to Galatasaray continue. Manor Solomon, likewise, could be available following a lower leg injury but may be left out of the squad depending on the progress of a potential transfer to Leeds United.

Two more victims of knee ligament injuries, defender Radu Dragusin and winger Bryan Gil, are out for the long term. Dragusin could be back in December if his rehabilitation goes well, while Gil is more likely to be sidelined until the New Year. It is too early for definitive return dates to be provided in either case.

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It’s time once again for our regular early morning round-up and review of some of the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – and we’re kicking things off today with an intriguing tale for fans of Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.

Journalist Fabrice Hawkins has posted on social media to report that both Spurs and Aston Villa are “in talks” with the representatives of Marseille and France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who has been transfer listed by his club following a dressing room fight.

Having allegedly become involved in an altercation with (now former) team-mate Jonathan Rowe, Marseille have put Rabiot up for sale, with Football Italia separately reporting that they are asking for €15m (£13m) for the 30-year-old’s services.

AC Milan are also interested and in contact with Rabiot’s entourage, but “Marseille has not been contacted” by any of the three interest parties as yet. The midfielder, who has 53 caps for France, spent five years with Juventus before moving to Marseille last summer.

The 3AM Verdict: There’s no doubt about Rabiot’s quality, even if there are plenty of concerns surrounding his temperament, so it’s not exactly shocking to see Premier League teams doing some due diligence ahead of making a bid. Rabiot always waves a few red flags, so we wouldn’t be shocked if either Spurs or Villa backed off, but this is a budget-friendly deal that carries high reward with the risk.

£60m star ‘tempted’ by Chelsea move after change of heart

Some encouraging news for Chelsea fans, next, courtesy of Sport Witness, who cite reports from Spain in claiming that Barcelona midfielder Fermín López is now “tempted” to join the Premier League side and is “no longer flatly refusing” to contemplate a departure from the Camp Nou, having previously been reported to have been keen to stay put.

While it’s not suggested that the 22-year-old is necessarily going to force his way out of his current club, he is said to be “serious” about a move to Stamford Bridge and is “attracted” to Chelsea, especially as they will apparently offer a significant increase in his salary.

Separately, TNT Sport report that Barcelona have set an asking price of €70m (£60m) for López, who has emerged as a significant transfer target for Chelsea over the past few days. Neither report suggests that a formal offer has yet been made, or makes any claims as to whether Chelsea are prepared to meet that price.

The 3AM Verdict: We suspect Chelsea want to pay less than that, and negotiations will be complicated. Barcelona don’t want to sell López, per se, but are perennially in need of fresh funding and have a bit of a glut of talent in midfield. This has the hallmarks of a deal that will take until deadline day to be done, one way or the other.

Nottingham Forest make ‘contact’ over Dutch star

Let’s round today’s digest off with a story from Fabrizio Romano, who reckons that Nottingham Forest have “made club to club contact” with RB Leipzig over a potential deal for 17-cap Netherlands international full-back Lutsharel Geertruida.

The 25-year-old, who only moved to Leipzig last summer in a deal worth just over £17m, becomes the latest right-back linked with a move to the City Ground and while Romano doesn’t know what the transfer fee might be, he does believe that “talks [are] underway”.

Elsewhere, he also claims that Forest have rejected West Ham United’s loan bid for Ibrahima Sangaré. They’ll only sanction a loan deal with an obligation to buy, it’s claimed, and the Hammers only made an offer which included an option.

The 3AM Verdict: The Sangaré deal still could go through, although with West Ham simultaneously negotiating over several different midfielders it’s very hard to get a clear picture of the likely outcome. As for Geertruida, it would be an exciting signing, but it’s hard to say how likely a move might be with none of the financial details.

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With only a few days of the summer transfer window left, the rumour mill is going into overdrive – and to help you keep pace with everything that’s happening, we’re back with our latest round-up and review of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours, starting with a story for fans of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

According to TeamTalk, West Ham may be forced to sell another key player in order to get some crucial transfer activity resolved prior to Monday’s deadline, and that could lead them to being “forced” into selling Lucas Paquetá – with Spurs said to be “keeping tabs on the situation.”

While West Ham are allegedly “deeply reluctant” to sell a key player to a local rival, it’s claimed that a bid in the £50-60m region could “tempt” them into selling. It is suggested that other sides could be monitoring Paquetá, too, but only Spurs are named in this report.

No formal offer has yet been made and Spurs are looking at other possible targets, but the Brazilian’s name “has been raised in discussions” in the corridors of power at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. West Ham, for their part, could move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Exequiel Palacios having secured the signature of Soungoutou Magassa.

The 3AM Verdict: Paquetá may be on a shortlist somewhere at Spurs, but he isn’t a priority target as far as we’re aware. Still, it’s possible that their failure to agree a fee for Como’s Nico Paz makes them look elsewhere, and perhaps this is one direction they could turn. West Ham, we suspect, will sell if the price is right, and don’t have a financial position to turn down decent offers.

Manchester United wonderkid could leave for bargain fee

Over to The Athletic now, who report that Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo could leave Old Trafford this summer – and that his price has dropped significantly as the Red Devils desperately work to raise further transfer funds before deadline day.

While United are “not actively pushing Mainoo out the door” the 20-year-old has been “identified internally as a potential departure” and United are willing to sell him at the right price, which is now alleged to be as low as £45m. That’s considerably lower than the £70m they supposedly quoted Chelsea back in January.

There is no word on whether Chelsea could come back in if the fee is indeed reduced, but it’s suggested that Mainoo himself would prefer to head to the continent rather than play for a Premier League rival. It’s not claimed that the player is trying to force a move, and indeed it’s said that he is “doing the right things” to win his place in Ruben Amorim’s starting side back.

The 3AM Verdict: We suspect that Mainoo is much more likely to stay at Old Trafford than leave this summer, although there is a chance that changes suddenly if United fail to arrange buyers for other unwanted players such as Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho. One issue is that there are few continental teams who would be interested and have the money at this stage of the summer.

Trent Alexander-Arnold set for shock Premier League comeback?

Let’s wrap things up today with a sensational claim from Caught Offside, who reckon that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid future is already in doubt, just months after signing on a free transfer from Liverpool – and that he could be set for a shock return to the Premier League.

With Alexander-Arnold not immediately earning a spot in Xabi Alonso’s starting side, it’s alleged that the right-back’s stay in Spain could be “short than expected” and even that Manchester City are “understood to be keeping a close eye” on developments ahead of what would be a remarkable transfer bid.

That would apparently be more likely to come in January rather than by Monday, but City are said to be long-term “admirers” of Alexander-Arnold who reached out to him prior to his decision to move to Real.

The 3AM Verdict: Not a chance, is our verdict, at least not in the foreseeable future. There’s no sourcing for this story whatsoever, and this feels like pure speculation with little basis in reality. City may well like Alexander-Arnold, but the idea that there is already any kind of path to the Etihad is fanciful.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a new attacker, after missing out on Eberechi Eze

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Tottenham Hotspur have made an impressive start to the new Premier League season and have maximum point on the board. They have won their first two games on the spin against Burnley and Manchester City. Thomas Frank was picked as their new head coach over the summer after his eye-catching tenure at Brentford.

Frank was appointed by the London club after their decision to part ways with Ange Postecoglou. The Dane has since adapted well to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He will be eager for their run of form to keep going for as long as possible.

Tottenham Hotspur eye Chelsea transfer hijack for Xavi Simons

It has been well documented that Spurs were keen on signing playmaker Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace. However, they missed out to rivals Arsenal. They need to find alternatives before the end of the transfer window on Monday 1st September at 7pm. As per a report by Football Insider, Frank’s side could hijack Chelsea’s swoop for RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons. He is valued at around the £60 million mark. It remains to be seen at this stage whether he will stay put in Germany or move on for a new challenge.

Simons, 22, would significantly boost the Spurs’ ranks if they managed to get him through the entrance door. The Netherlands international, who has 28 caps under his belt, would add more quality to their squad. In addition, he would give them something different going forward.

The Amsterdam-born man joined Leipzig on an initial loan deal in 2023 before his transfer was later made permanent. He has since become one of their most valuable assets and they face a real battle to keep hold of him at the moment amid attention from elsewhere. The attacking midfielder has made 78 appearances in all competitions for them to date and has scored 22 goals, 11 of which came in the last campaign.

Simons was on the books at Barcelona as a child before PSG came calling. He then rose up through the academy of the Ligue 1 giants and was a regular for them at various different youth levels before going on to feature on 11 occasions for their first-team. PSV swooped in back in 2022 and he fired 22 goals in 48 matches for the Eredivisie team.

Why Xavi Simons would suit Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs have done some great work on the recruitment front over the past couple of months and Simons would be the cherry on top of the cake. It would be a blow if he joined a rival like Chelsea. Therefore, they have to do their upmost to try and get him instead.

Simons should leave Leipzig now for a new challenge in his career. Some of the top players from Germany like Benjamin Sesko and Florian Wirtz have left for England over recent times to test themselves and he should follow suit. Spurs need players who can get their fans off their seats and he ticks all the boxes.

Frank will want his side to keep their momentum going. They put in an impressive performance at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City and stuck to their game plan well. Next up is a home clash against AFC Bournemouth to see off August. They then have fixtures coming up in September against the likes of West Ham, Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolves.

Spurs have the opportunity to bring in some new faces before the deadline over the coming days. They also have the chance to let some players leave if needed. That would help free up some space and funds to pave the way for reinforcements.

All the latest breaking transfer rumours featuring Man United, Tottenham, Newcastle and more

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The transfer window is edging closer to shutting for the year as clubs across the Premier League desperately attempt to secure last-minute buys and prevent the window crashing shut on their fingers.

An interesting image, but a reality for several clubs with gaping holes yet to be filled by an exciting new signing or two. We have brought your latest dose of transfer gossip on this Tuesday morning, beginning at Old Trafford - where a fifth summer signing is looking closer by the day.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed for GiveMeSport that Manchester United are ‘advancing fast’ on the signing of Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The transfer guru states that an agreement is already in place with the 23-year-old, who looks set to be brought in to compete with Andre Onana following a summer of speculation regarding the future of United’s goalkeeping position.

The report continues that discussions have taken place around a £17million package, while Antwerp are looking for €25m (£22m) to seal the deal. All parties ‘anticipate an agreement before deadline day’.

The 3AM verdict: This appears to be a smart move for United, though we are not sure why a deal has taken this long. Lammens can be brought in with the view to becoming the Red Devils’ No.1 for years to come but, should he take some time to adapt, having Onana around would mean the pressure is not quite as high. Potentially, the intention could be to part ways with the Cameroon international next summer after giving him a final chance to earn his place in the starting XI.

Tottenham submit mammoth £73m offer for Man City star

Also reported by GiveMeSport, Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly offered an improved bid of £73m for Manchester City winger Savinho as Thomas Frank’s side remain determined to strengthen in attacking areas before the end of the window.

The report cites Fichajes in Spain as claiming the club-record bid has been lodged by Spurs, who recently missed out on Eberechi Eze and may feel that their only option is to make City an offer they cannot refuse. Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he does not want to part ways with the 21-year-old Brazil international but an improved offer could change things and leave City looking elsewhere - potentially setting them up to go all out for Rodrygo as a replacement.

The 3AM verdict: The price seems a little steep for a player who scored one Premier League goal last season. Unfortunately for Spurs, this gives off a scent of desperation following the hijack of their move for Eze.

They would probably be better off going just a little higher to bid around £78m for Rodrygo himself - because is it really a wise idea to open the door for City to sign him? Despite all this, we feel there will certainly be further developments to come in this Savinho saga.

Newcastle turmoil continues as £50m striker bid rejected

Reported by Caught Offside, Newcastle United’s transfer struggles this summer are reportedly continuing as Wolves reject a £50m offer for striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Newcastle are on the search for two new strikers to replace the departed Callum Wilson and striking and statement-writing Alexander Isak. The club will be in a very awkward situation come September if two strikers cannot be brought in, let alone one.

Wolves have reiterated that Strand Larsen, who scored 14 goals last season while on loan and has now joined permanently from Celta Vigo, is not for sale under any circumstances this summer. Newcastle may yet return with an improved offer despite this.

The 3AM verdict: Strand Larsen is a good player who has proven his ability to score goals in the Premier League, but Newcastle would be best placed putting their time elsewhere. Wolves have already sold their two best players this summer and may as well be signing a relegation contract if they were to part ways with their starting centre-forward at this stage in the window.

Furthermore, if the Magpies were to up their bid by £3m or more then Strand Larsen would become the most expensive Norwegian footballer ever. Which does not quite sit right with us when Erling Haaland plies his trade in the Premier League. There are not many striker options left on the market admittedly, but this one appears to be a dead end.