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Everton and Spurs have been linked with an American international - but it’s Everton who need him more.

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In spite of the relative ease with which David Moyes managed to steer Everton away from the relegation battle last season, there’s little doubt that the Toffees need to strengthen in quite a few areas before they move into their shiny new stadium.

The new ownership seems keen to invest and Everton have been linked with a bewilderingly wide range of players, but given that this is a club who have fallen afoul of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules before, there is a limit to just how much they will be able to spend.

The excesses and errors of the Moshiri years remain a factor in the rolling three-year accounting period and the club posted a pre-tax loss of £53m for 2023/24, their seventh successive financial deficit. As such, the Friedkin Group will be forced to temper their ambitions to some degree – but fresh links with one of Europe’s most versatile players may help them kill a few different birds with a single stone.

Timothy Weah could be the answer to Everton’s transfer headache

On Friday, Sport Witness reported on stories from France which suggest that both Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are in contact with Juventus to find out whether they can strike a deal for United States international Timothy Weah.

With Weah currently in America as he juggles deeply awkward meetings with Donald Trump and playing in the Club World Cup, it’s likely that we’re a few weeks away from any substantive negotiations taking place – but if we do get that far, then Weah may be just what Everton need to cover the needs of the squad without breaking the bank.

Admittedly, we don’t know how much Juventus might demand in order to sell Weah. Transfermarkt estimate his value at €17m (£14.5m), their valuations are hardly entirely reliable and with three years remaining on his current contract, that’s probably an understatement of what he would cost.

Although not necessarily a critical player for the Old Lady – only half of his 60 league appearances since moving to Serie A have been starts – his enormous versatility means that he’s important to their squad rotation. In short, while Juventus would surely consider a sale at the right price, he wouldn’t necessarily be all that cheap.

But that same versatility could make him a hugely cost-effective signing. Weah started his career as a right winger who occasionally played centre-forward but now operates either as a wing-back or winger on either side, operating on both sides of defence, midfield and as a striker on one occasion for Juventus this season alone.

Everton are already contemplating adding a free agent right-back in the form of Kyle Walker (with other options on the table) but there are warning signs that Walker’s career is in sharp decline. The 25-year-old Weah, by comparison, has years left in the tank and could not only fill the void at right-back but also offer an option on the wings and up front, both areas which also need strengthening.

Everton’s squad is, frankly, a little thin in several positions, and adding a player who could cover several areas at once seems like a pretty sensible suggestion. In that regard, at least, their need is surely more dire than that of Spurs, who need some help out wide but have good options at right-back already.

Why Weah isn’t the perfect solution to David Moyes’ problems

Of course, there’s a reason that Weah seems likely to be available this summer – for all his versatility, he has become something of a jack of all trades, and arguably master of none.

While he’s rock solid technically, as a winger he does lack the kind of dynamism that helps him get into dangerous positions, isn’t at his best taking defenders on one-on-one (he succeeds less than 40% of the times that he takes an opponent on), and isn’t a major source of goals. His five strikes in Serie A this season was a career high, and he hadn’t scored a league goal for Juventus or Lille for two years before scoring against Como on the opening day of the 2024/25 season.

His defensive work is generally strong but Weah doesn’t shine in any particular area – he reads the game well, his positioning is decent, and he’s solid in the tackle without offering any truly exceptional qualities.

Still, this is a player good enough to play for Juventus on a relatively regular basis and to earn 44 international caps by the time that he’s 25. He’s physically impressive and quick enough to give opposing defenders headaches while avoiding being outpaced by wingers running at him down the flanks. He certainly seems to be in slight better shape than Walker may be for the next couple of years.

Weah wouldn’t necessarily be a transformative signing for Everton (or Spurs, for that matter) but he offers plenty of quality and a degree of flexibility that few players can match. For a side about to embark on a rebuild restricted by financial circumstances, that sounds like a sensible deal to get done.

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A round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Spurs, Liverpool, Aston Villa and more.

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It’s once again time for us to read through all of the latest stories coming off the rumour mill and round up a few of the juiciest new Premier League transfer stories – and we’ll kick today’s digest off with a story concerning both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

TBR Football claim that Spurs are “showing interest” in hijacking a likely bid from Bayer Leverkusen for 22-year-old defender Jarell Quansah – and although the Bundesliga side are “set to push ahead” with an offer, Thomas Frank’s side could make a bid of their own.

While Liverpool are said to be “not keen” on parting ways with Quansah, there is enough interest from elsewhere that an acceptable price point could be found. This report claim that Liverpool want £40m – a higher fee than we’ve seen suggested elsewhere, with €40m (£34m) a figure that’s been quoted more often.

Apparently Newcastle United are also somewhat interested, although this article makes it sound like Quansah isn’t their main priority. Given that he’s currently in Slovakia with England’s Under-21s, a deal isn’t likely to get sorted any time soon.

The 3AM Verdict: Newcastle’s name came up a lot in connection with Quansah a few months ago, but Spurs haven’t really been touted as contenders before. In any case, reports of negotiations with Leverkusen are now so widespread that it seems to be their race to lose – and any potential rivals will need to start making moves soon. We think Newcastle are more interested in Marc Guéhi and Jan Paul van de Hecke as it stands.

Villa & Leeds among suitors for £25m Strasbourg starlet

Over to Caught Offside now – they claim that Aston Villa and Leeds United are “among the main clubs” who are making overtures towards 21-year-old Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra, who has been earmarked as a star of the future for a couple of years over in France.

While “no formal talks or negotiations have taken place” as yet, Strasbourg are understood to be willing to consider an offer in the region of €30m (£25m). Everton, Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Eintracht Frankfurt are also “admirers” of the Senegal international, who scored in the recent 3-1 win over England.

The report also speculates that Chelsea could make a move given that their owners also have a controlling stake in Strasbourg, a connection which means that they’re always looking to siphon the French side’s best talent towards London. They are not “currently showing a strong interest”, however, so this article effectively contradicts its own supposition.

The 3AM Verdict: Diarra was highly effective as a box-to-box midfielder in Ligue 1 last season and was identified as a potential top talent as a teenager – he certainly seems like a player who could contribute effectively for either Villa or Leeds. There’s no real evidence given that those are the two sides at the front of the queue, so we’ll have to take that on trust, but it certainly looks like he’ll be on the move soon.

Burnley make bid for Dutch international

On to another newly-promoted side, now – according to Sport Witness, Championship runners-up Burnley are “closing in” on extravagantly-named Dutch defender Quilindschy Hartman, who currently plays for Feyenoord.

Apparently the Clarets have “tabled a multi-million pound offer” for the 23-year-old, who has four caps for the Netherlands but who only returned from nearly a year out with a knee injury in February. Hartman has played 90 minutes just once since the end of the 2023/24 season.

With Hartman’s contract up in a year and no sign of an impending extension, it seems as though Burnley should be able to negotiate a cut-price deal – but the exact amount isn’t mentioned.

The 3AM Verdict: The original source for this story, 1908.nl, is very good for Feyenoord gossip, so we trust this one. Hartman was heading towards the top before the injury slowed him down, so while there’s a certain gamble being taken on his fitness, in terms of sheer ability the Dutchman should prove to be a fine signing.

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Tottenham are preparing a £50 million bid for a West Ham winger - but Arsenal may have a way to get in ahead of their rivals.

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Arsenal’s busy summer continues as they look to make upgrades across their forward line with Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko, Jamie Gittens and Rafael Leao all potential arrivals this transfer window, but providing quality back-up to Bukayo Saka also remains a priority and a London rival may have the perfect player available.

According to FootballTransfers, Arsenal have held talks with West Ham about signing Mohammed Kudus - who has three years remaining on his deal at the London Stadium - for around €55-€60 million (£43-£51m).

Signed for £38m in 2023, Kudus had a destructive debut campaign scoring 14 goals in all competitions and making nine Premier League assists, and though he failed to back that up in a more difficult sophomore season that featured nine goal contributions the big six remain interested in the 24-year-old.

It won’t be straightforward as Chelsea are interested in Kudus and he’s reportedly one of Tottenham’s top targets under new manager Thomas Frank, though they don’t believe he’s worth his £85m release clause.

The Guardian believe Frank and Daniel Levy are preparing a £50m bid to test West Ham’s resolve, so there’s scope for Arsenal to hijack the deal and they may have the perfect secret weapon to beat their bitter North London rivals to capturing the Ghanaian, in the form of Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Sportwitness.co.uk believe West Ham have emerged as a potential destination for the quadruple Premier League champion who Arsenal have priced at around €15m (£13m) this summer, and with several continental giants also interested in Zinchenko, a swap deal plus cash would be the perfect way to ensure both London clubs secure their targets this transfer window.

Kudus would be perfect foil to Saka

Building out their attack beyond simply Martin Odegaard and Saka must be Mikel Arteta’s main aims this summer and that includes employing a better rotation option on the right flank to give him more control over the 23-year-old’s playing time and reduce the risk of injuries.

The Gunners’ reliance on Saka was made painfully clear last season - Squawka revealed their goal output per 90 minutes had dropped from 2.12 to 1.77 without their talisman and they won 0.5 fewer points per game against top-half sides.

Marcus Rashford’s collapse at Old Trafford serves as an example of the toll playing so much at such a young age can cause problems down the line, as Manchester United managers were so desperately in need of short-term success that they kept flogging potentially their best academy graduate of the 21st century until it was inevitable he’d break down.

Arteta doesn’t have that same pressure but must have more viable options on the right than an out-of-position Ethan Nwaneri or Gabriel Martinelli, or Raheem Sterling and Kudus would certainly provide that.

His game isn’t the most rounded but Kudus possesses a gamebreaking ability with the ball at his feet. He had the most successful take-ons in the Premier League in 2023/24 by an absolute street - 124 with Jeremy Doku the next-best at 87 - and just as importantly can turn them into chances, ranking in the top 5% and 15% of the league’s wingers and attacking midfielders for shots and goals created by beating a man.

Kudus’ passing numbers aren’t titanic but they’re effective: he excels at switching the play, ranking fourth in the league for such passes last season, and boasts very strong medium and long pass completion percentages of 89 and 68 respectively.

Additionally, Kudus brings valuable versatility across the front line as he’s lined up 32 times on the right, 21 on the left and 24 through the middle in claret and blue, though is most effective in the former with 10 goals and six assists when he can cut in and fire from his stronger left foot.

A fee of £85m is extremely rarified air occupied by the likes of Rodrygo and Morgan Rodgers this summer and there’s clearly no way that Kudus is worth that much - Arsenal have made that clear to the Hammers themselves.

However, a bid of around £40-45m plus Zinchenko would require serious consideration by West Ham, especially as the 28-year-old could solve either of two problem positions for Graham Potter.

Zinchenko could fill holes in West Ham defence or midfield

West Ham are keen to strengthen in central midfield and at left-back this summer - and they’re the two positions where Zinchenko has made over 80% of his career appearances.

Emerson Palmieri and Ollie Scales split game time at left-back last season and though the latter impressed in flashes, he’s still a teenager and Potter wants to bring in a more experienced head who could compete and potentially win the shirt from the Italian who turns 31 in August.

Meanwhile James Ward-Prowse is also into his fourth decade had only started five times in top flight by the end of January last campaign, and Lucas Paqueta’s gambling investigation could deprive Potter of another frontline midfielder.

And despite clocking his fewest number of Premier League minutes ever in 2024/25, Zinchenko averaged a goal contribution every 2-3 games and remains a major creative threat. His passing range make him a brilliant fit for version of Potterball but the former Brighton boss must fight off stiff competition from European giants to land the Ukranian.

AC Milan are chasing Zinchenko hard, seeing him as a replacement for the outgoing Theo Hernandez, while Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax are also interested in such a devalued player, so if Kudus can net West Ham a healthy profit and such a well-suited addition to their squad it would be a genius piece of business.

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The latest Premier League transfer rumours - with stories from Arsenal, Newcastle, Spurs and Aston Villa.

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Keeping up with every single transfer rumour that rolls off the mill is nigh on impossible these days – so to make life a little easier, we at 3 Added Minutes get up early every morning and round up some of the biggest and sometimes strangest new Premier League transfer stories to keep you in the loop. And today, we start with a story that may pique Arsenal fans’ interest, while worrying those from Newcastle.

According to The Athletic’s latest ‘deal sheets’ – hidden away behind a paywall, we’re afraid – Arsenal are ramping up their efforts to sign a new winger, with Nico Williams still a preferred target despite the increasing likelihood that he moves to Barcelona. It’s one of the names on the list of alternative options that caught our eye, however.

While suggestions that Arsenal could be interested in Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon aren’t completely new, this is perhaps the most reputable and reliable source we’ve seen relaying the story yet. Apparently, the Gunners “admire” the left winger, who Newcastle would be loathe to lose.

Some words of encouragement for Newcastle fans emerge in the article’s section on the Magpies, however – apparently the club are “confident they can rebuff any interest” in £45m man Gordon, and the same goes for Alexander Isak, Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali too. No word on a price point, if there even is one.

The 3AM Verdict: Newcastle don’t seem to be in a position in which they need to seriously consider selling a player like Gordon, fortunately for them, and as much as the club are at pains to point out the impact that PSR restrictions have on their transfer business, we suspect that Gordon will stay. They’d demand an outrageous sum for him, and as we saw with Arsenal’s abortive pursuit of Isak, the Gunners probably won’t pay too far over the odds. We suspect that Gordon stays put.

Spurs ‘ready to start talks’ over 17-goal striker

Over to a story from TBR Football, now – they claim that Tottenham Hotspur have identified a new target as they search for attacking reinforcements, and are “ready to start talks” with French outfit Rennes over their 23-year-old striker Arnaud Kalimuendo.

The forward bagged 17 league goals over the course of the recent league season and Spurs are “keen to assess how much the Frenchman would cost” as they prepare to open negotiations.

The report speculates that Kalimuendo would likely be seen as a back-up to Dominic Solanke, and apparently he’s drawn comparisons with Jermain Defoe in terms of playing style. No word from the Rennes side of the deal as to how much they might demand, but Kalimuento has two years left on his contract, so there probably won’t be a major premium or discount on that end of things.

The 3AM Verdict: Kalimuendo hit double figures for the second successive season in France and has plenty of technical quality to back up his instincts in the box, so this would be a deal that made plenty of sense – if the price was right. Spurs seldom allow themselves to be suckered into an overpay, so the early stages of any negotiations that take place will be crucial.

Champions League team could lure Aston Villa man away

We’ll wrap today’s column up with some potentially bad news for Aston Villa fans – not only did their agonising failure to qualify for the Champions League cost them financially, but it may cost them a player as well.

Sport Witness report that Atlético Madrid are “interested” in signing Lucas Digne from Villa, with “some sort of contact” already made between club and player. Digne, who is keen to play Champions League football to keep his place in the France squad, is said to be up for the transfer.

For Villa’s part, they “could look to sell” the 31-year-old to ensure that they get a transfer fee while he still holds value – although there’s no word about exactly how large that fee might be.

The 3AM Verdict: Presumably, the odds on a deal being done hinge heavily on whether Atléti can seal a deal for Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson, widely reported to be their first choice. From Villa’s perspective, the bad news is that they really need to get a deal done before the end of the month to help steer them clear of PSR worries. The odds may not be in their favour.

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Rumours suggest that Spurs and AC Milan could be trading several players this summer - but would it pay off for Thomas Frank’s team?

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As Spurs begin the process of reshaping their squad to match new manager Thomas Frank’s requirements, Daniel Levy may soon find an unusual and convoluted deal coming across his table, centred around AC Milan’s apparent interest in two of their players.

A growing number of reports – including one from TBR Football – suggest that Milan are interested in Spurs’ first-choice goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, while other reports from Italy suggest that Milan’s newly-appointed sporting director, Igli Tare, has met with the agent who represents both Vicario and his team-mate Radu Draguşin, with both considered options for the Italian side.

Spurs, for their part, are likely to still hold interest in Milan’s Fikayo Tomori, who rejected a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January, and are supposedly “open” to selling Vicario despite his highly impressive performances in his first season with the club. Throw in the fact that Milan’s own goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, is trying to engineer a move away, and a rare double swap deal could be on the cards. It would be complex to negotiate, to say the least, but it might make a certain amount of sense for Spurs.

Would Mike Maignan be an upgrade on Guglielmo Vicario?

As it stands, none of the reports centred on Milan’s interest in Vicario have suggested that Maignan could be used directly as a makeweight, but Milan are happy to sell the 29-year-old Frenchman, and only turned Chelsea’s bid away because they wouldn’t raise it beyond a mere €15m.

Chelsea, for their part, were likely unwilling to part with more because Maignan is coming off the back of a comparatively indifferent season. Although the Frenchman was superb when Milan won the Scudetto in his debut season in Italy in 2021/22 (and arguably even better when winning Ligue 1 with Lille the year before), he has been inconsistent since, with his statistical output never matching that brilliant campaign again.

Still, while he may not still be hitting the heights which saw him widely touted as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, he remains a very fine player who is both extremely comfortable playing well outside of his penalty area but who also offers pinpoint distribution – and who still makes a higher percentage of his saves than Vicario.

Vicario has a handful of rough moments between the sticks as Spurs goalkeeper, but remains capable of the outstanding, and since joining from Empoli has prevented the equivalent of 4.4 goals compared to the xG of the chances he’s faced – Maignan, for his part, has actually conceded 5.4 more than he ‘should’ have, all things being even.

Still, based on the stats, there is a relatively slim difference between Maignan’s ability to keep shots out than Vicario’s, and there are areas of the game in which the Frenchman is clearly better. Vicario is unquestionably stronger at dealing with high balls (he successfully handled nearly 50% more crosses than Maignan over the past year) but Maignan ticks plenty of boxes elsewhere.

Depending on how Frank wants his goalkeeper to operate – how high up the pitch, and how long he wants him to go with his distribution – Maignan could easily represent a tactical upgrade who is similarly strong at making the actual saves. And if Maignan’s circumstances means that Spurs can switch Vicario for Maignan and make a profit, then it could prove to be smart business.

It’s unlikely that Spurs are desperate to get rid of Vicario, and nor should they be. While perhaps not one of the outstanding shot stoppers of the Premier League, he has few weaknesses. Still, a hard-nosed, business-focussed look at the possibility of a profitable piece of horse trading certainly doesn’t suggest that making a change would necessarily be a disastrously bad move.

Is Fikayo Tomori as good as English fans think?

The other half of the equation is a potential deal involving centre-halves Tomori and Draguşin, the latter of which has failed to impress since moving from Serie A to North London himself. Few Spurs fans would be sad to see him go.

They may well be rather happier to welcome Tomori, who is perhaps appreciated more in England than he is in Italy right now. Like Maignan, Tomori was superb during Milan’s title-winning campaign three years ago, but has found it tricky to live up to those performances since.

His positional sense and penchant for a rash challenge have both been a persistent source of criticism, and he was dropped from the starting team for half of the 2024/25 season by former manager Paulo Fonseca, partly due to form and partly due to disobeying his manager’s instructions during a match against Fiorentina to wrestle a penalty from Christian Pulisic so it could be given to Tammy Abraham. The penalty was, perhaps inevitably, saved, and Milan went on to lose 2-1.

Given that his relationship with the manager appeared to be broken after that incident, it was somewhat surprising that Tomori refused Spurs’ overtures during the January transfer window - but perhaps a new head coach and the return of Champions League football will change his mind.

For his part, Tomori did eventually win his place in the team back towards the end of a disappointing season and while he can’t be said to have his best year in Serie A – rather, his very worst – he still has a degree of technical quality that Draguşin has failed to demonstrate in North London. He’s a fine ball-playing defender with an eye for a pass, and Frank may well value that.

Presumably, Tomori would fetch a higher price than Draguşin, although with two years left on his Milan contract and doubts about his future role, the fee may not be too excessive. Given that Spurs need to strengthen the centre of their defence, bringing Tomori back to England would not be the worst chance to take.

There are so many moving parts in the potential dealings between the two clubs that it’s hard to predict the outcome of any negotiations, if they even start in earnest, and more trustworthy media outlets are yet to add their voices to the suggestion that these moves could take place. This could just be speculation rather than a solid transfer story.

But if it does turn out to be the real deal, then perhaps Spurs should give it some serious thought. There’s potential for them to upgrade in two positions ahead of a season in which they’ll be competing on domestic and continental fronts – and perhaps even to add some money to the transfer fund into the bargain.

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Spurs are linked with a transfer bid for a wonderkid with dazzling potential - but will they win the race?

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Spurs have a new manager in place, but Daniel Levy’s work for the summer is far from finished – Thomas Frank’s squad needs fresh strength and depth in equal measure as they prepare to simultaneously attempt to restore their place in the Premier League’s upper echelons and compete in the Champions League.

One transfer, the permanent signing of Bayern Munich winger Mathys Tel, is already in the bag, but Tel isn’t the only talented young wide forward on Spurs’ shopping list, according to reports. The difference is that their bid for Roony Bardghji may well run into stiff competition.

Spurs among contenders in the race for Roony Bardghji

The 19-year-old winger, whose small stature and effortless ball control has earned him the deeply imaginative nickname ‘The Swedish Messi’, made his debut for FC København less than a week after his 16th birthday in 2021 and was quickly hyped up as one of the most promising players in the world – and now he’s almost certainly on the move.

His contract with his Danish side is up in December and København are expected to make use of their last chance to cash in on probably the most talented player to ever have emerged from their youth system, with Bardghji himself supposedly telling the club that he wants to leave.

That’s sparked the interest of a broad range of European clubs, with Spurs, Porto, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille among the names cropping up with regularity – and Manchester United’s name is very much in the mix, too.

United know more about his quality than most English sides, given that he scored the winning goal in a 4-3 victory for København at Old Trafford in the Champions League in November 2023, and have been linked with a bid for the teenager for many months, with TNT Sports among the outlets reporting their interest.

More clubs would probably be interested had Bardghji not been forced to spend nearly a year on the sidelines with injury. A serious ACL issue put him out of action for the vast majority of the 2024/25 campaign, meaning he was able to make just six appearances across the whole season, slowing his progress and perhaps making a number of teams a little more wary of launching a bid.

Still, on Monday TBR Football reported that Spurs are “working on” a deal, with reports elsewhere suggesting that Bardghji’s club world likely accept around £10m given his contract situation – a significant discount on the estimated price tag prior to his injury.

It isn’t believed that Spurs have made a formal offer as yet, with only Porto reported to have done so to date. With so many sides interested to at least some extent, it’s likely that negotiations are dragged out so that both the player and his club can pick up as many offers as possible. The only certainty is that Bardghji will move over the next three months. If Spurs want to sign one of Europe’s most talented wingers, and beat Manchester United and many others to a potential bargain, they need to move now.

Why Roony Bardghji could be the perfect signing for Tottenham

Bardghji could easily offer Spurs the same immensely talented rotational option on the right flank that they now have with Tel down the left – although where Tel is at his best in and around the penalty area, Bardghji is perhaps more comfortable operating slightly deeper and acting as a creator rather than as a destroyer.

The Swede’s low centre of gravity, tight turning circle and sudden burst of pace, combined with his instinctive control and seemingly endless box of tricks make him a nightmare for defenders. He’s sharp, slippery and capable of bursting past an opponent with remarkable ease.

While the comparison with Messi may rather lazy, it’s easy enough to take the point when watching him dribble. It’s the same sudden surge from a low position and the same graceful, fluid movement – but perhaps not backed up by the potential to score 50 goals in a season.

Not that Bardghji is bad in front of goal, as Manchester United discovered to their cost. He has 13 goals in 68 senior matches – only around half of which have been starts – and has a powerful and precise left-footed shot. In the long run, Tel will likely finish his career with more goals, but Bardghji will put plenty to his name over the years.

All of which, of course, is presupposing that his lengthy injury lay-off hasn’t done too much damage. The risk is that the next few years of his career path veers rather closer to that of the unfortunate Ansu Fati than to Messi, but if the price of a ticket is only £10m, it’s a lottery worth entering. Bardghji is blessed with phenomenal talent and the kind of technical skills that no amount of coaching can ever teach.

Spurs will need more than a couple of talented wingers to set themselves back on the right path in the 2025/26 season, but a gradual move towards signing younger players such as Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall could easily pay dividends in the future – and Bardghji has already proven himself to be a match-winner in the Champions League. Signing Bardghji wouldn’t be buying a back-up, but a player who can push Dejan Kulusevski for minutes from day one if he’s fully fit.

Spurs have, of course, often struggled to win transfer battles when other teams are involved, perhaps because of chairman Levy’s habit of pushing negotiations too far in search of the best deal for the club. But if Bardghji blossoms as he looks likely to, then anything close to £10m may end up looking like an extraordinarily good piece of business a little way down the line. Whether they actually follow Porto into making a long-rumoured offer, however, we’ll know very soon.

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Thomas Frank is set to begin an overhaul of Tottenham ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League

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Tottenham are preparing for a major summer spending spree, with Champions League qualification and a new manager in the form of Thomas Frank creating the perfect conditions for an overhaul of the squad that finished 17th in the Premier League, so we enlisted a little AI help to outline where they should focus their efforts this transfer window.

We used asked Grok to predict Tottenham’s summer transfer window please (one can never be too polite to our future overlords) and it identified a centre-back, central midfielder, winger and striker as the key positions for Frank to target alongside general squad depth given Spurs’ injury issues last season.

Daniel Levy sanctioned an unusually generous net spend of £145.9m last season headlined by Dominic Solanke who returned 14 goals last season, less than half his output for Bournemouth the season prior.

This time around, Grok predicted a budget of around £200 million plus player sales for the transfer window, and with the AI getting rid of five players that pushed the total summer spend up to a potential £410m. How did they do it? Without further ado, let’s find out…

Viktor Gyokeres leads brand new all-star front three

Grok has gone big on attack in Frank’s first transfer window, predicting a brand spanking new £240m front line of Jamie Gittens, Viktor Gyokeres and Xavi Simons. It clearly doesn’t rate Dominic Solanke as it lists number nine as a main priority for Tottenham, and places Gyokeres at the top of the list, flanking him with the dynamite Gittens on the left and Simons out of position on the right.

Tasked with combining with James Maddison to unlock that sensational attack is Adam Wharton for £60m, with Grok citing his passing range and composure as the perfect recipe to get the most out of a forward line that produced 77 goals last year - 13 more than Tottenham totalled last Premier League campaign.

As back up to Wharton, or offering the option to change the game, or just because Grok felt like it, is Davide Frattesi who it believes Levy could secure for an optimistic £25m despite three years still remaining on the Italy international’s contract.

And it’s good news at the back for Spurs fans as they beat London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal to the in-demand Marc Geuhi. Grok would grossly overpay £80m for Guehi who is on offer for £50-£60m from Crystal Palace, but would sure things up at the back after Spurs conceded an astounding 65 Premier League goals last season - more than any other surviving team except Wolves.

Son Heung-min ends decade with Spurs

There’s something pretty dystopian about writing up AI’s plans on which humans to replace, though at least all of these players have been sold to other clubs in this prediction rather than plugged into a Matrix-style battery farm. Unfortunately we’re not sure free agents Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilon and Alfie Whiteman will be so lucky.

Son Heung-min is the biggest name leaving North London unless ‘fan backlash’ forces Tottenham to reconsider (Grok clearly doesn’t know much about Levy’s sentimentality) with a move to Saudi Arabia mooted - the PIF would surely be the only ones to pay AI’s predicted £50m fee.

Grok also sent Richarlison to the Middle East for £40m citing his high wages, and believe Tottenham could look to cash in on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for £30m for Ben Davies for £10m with both players only having a year left on their contracts.

However, the biggest money spinner is set to be Cristian Romero after the World Cup winner criticised Tottenham’s board in December comparing their lack of spending to Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea’s investment and saying: "You have to realise that something is going wrong, hopefully, they [the board] realise it".

Grok believes Tottenham could fetch up to £80m for Romero from Atletico Madrid, though they also think they can sell Mathys Tel to Bayern Munich for £30m despite only having the Frenchman on loan from the Bavarians last season - a bold strategy for sure.

It’s important to note that Grok is making all of these transfers assuming Ange Postecoglou remains in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This means Elon Musk spent three or four billion dollars developing a system that’s less in tune with the Premier League than my granddad, but we don’t want to push the point in case it remembers when AI begins world domination.

AI-predicted 2025/26 Tottenham starting XI: Grok opted to stick with Postecoglou’s preferred 4-3-3 for its new-look starting side, and selected: Vicario; Danso, Guehi, Van de Ven, Udogie; Wharton, Bissouma, Maddison; Simons, Gyokeres, Gittens.

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No sooner has the transfer window closed, than we prepare for it to re-open again – we’re just a few days away from the point at which teams can start trading once more, and we’re here to keep you up-to-date with all the freshest Premier League transfer rumours so you can keep track.

We’ll start off today with a pretty huge story concerning both Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest – according to Foot Mercato journalist Sébastien Vidal, Spurs are eyeing up a move for Morgan Gibbs-White, who has also been linked with Manchester City.

Apparently Pep Guardiola’s side are “cooling their interest”, which has encouraged Spurs to “test [Forest’s] resolve” with a bid. It is suggested that a deal worth €60m (£51m or so) “could be on the table.”

The claim is that incoming Spurs manager Thomas Frank is “pushing for a statement signing”, with a move for Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo presumably looking a little implausible as it stands.

The 3AM Verdict: Sources for this story seem to be limited to one journalist as it stands, so we’ll wait and see if anyone else starts to corroborate it before judging whether it’s likely to happen. Certainly Forest are likely to want more money for their club record signing and arguably best player.

Arsenal monitor Nico Williams alternative

It won’t have escaped the notice of Arsenal fans that the club has once again been heavily linked with a bid for Spanish winger Nico Williams this summer, and a titanic transfer tussle with Chelsea seems to be in prospect – but if that doesn’t pan out, they may have a back-up plan.

Caught Offside claim that the Gunners have identified Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz as “an ideal transfer target” after “issues” emerged in their pursuit of Athletic Club’s Williams due to his salary demands. Williams’ release clause of €58m (£49m) would make him cheaper than Yildiz, however, at least at first. Juventus want €80m (£68m) for the Turkey international, although Arsenal value him at around €20m less.

The 3AM Verdict: At this point, Yildiz has been tentatively linked to just about every club in the Premier League, mostly by Caught Offside for some reason. The main hook for this story is that Matteo Tognozzi, who discovered Yildiz while he was with Juve, is joining Andrea Berta’s team at Arsenal, but given that he isn’t even there yet we wonder how much influence he can have already. Speculation, in our opinion.

Leeds United ponder second bid for Serie A star

Premier League new boys Leeds United, meanwhile, are doing their best to build their squad ahead of their return to the top flight – although according to Sport Witness, it isn’t necessarily an easy process. They appear to have had an initial bid for Udinese defender Jaka Bijol (who you may recall was among the best defenders at Euro 2024 with Slovenia) turned down – but they may head back to the negotiating table soon.

We don’t know how much Leeds offered for Bijol, but the offer was “rejected out of hand” – not an ideal starting point – but “talks are set to resume” and Leeds allegedly have the 26-year-old centre-back near “the top of their list”.

The 3AM Verdict: An aerially dominant defender who cuts an imposing figure at the back, Bijol has two years left on his current deal in Udine but should be within Leeds’ price range given the supposed £100m transfer budget that they have. The negotiations appear to be very genuine, but that doesn’t guarantee that a deal can be hashed out.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both underperformed in the Premier League last season

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Manchester United finished last season down in 15th place in the Premier League table. Ruben Amorim will be under pressure for them to start the next campaign with some positive results. The Red Devils have the chance to add some much needed quality to their squad this summer.

As for Tottenham Hotspur, they ended up in 17th position in the table. Nevertheless, they managed to get their hands on the Europa League trophy. They have made the decision to part ways with Ange Postecoglou and are poised to bring in Thomas Frank from Brentford as his replacement.

Manchester United should target Richarlison move

United should look to bring in some attacking reinforcements over the next couple of months. They lacked a cutting edge last term and didn’t score as many goals as they would have liked. Therefore, that has to be an area that their recruitment team needs to look at strengthening.

Richarlison, 28, would be ideal for the Reds Devils and could do with a change of scene to get his career back on track. He would give Amorim another option to pick from at the top end of the pitch. In addition, the Brazil international, who has made 49 caps for his country, has proved he can score goals at the top level in the past and is now an experienced operator in the game.

The forward was snapped up by Spurs back in 2022 and he has since made 90 appearances for the London outfit, chipping in with 20 goals. Prior to his move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he spent time at Everton and found the net on 53 occasions in 152 matches. He needs to go somewhere now where he is guaranteed regular football and he is likely to get minutes at Old Trafford if he went there.

Richarlison moved over to England from South America as a youngster and initially joined Watford after catching the eye in Rio with Fluminense. He is a player who is never too far away from the headlines but if he can get his head down and focus on his football, he may still have a bright future ahead of him in this country. He is also the type of player who can get fans off their seats and United are craving some excitement.

Manchester United should use Jadon Sancho as swap deal

United should use Jadon Sancho as part of a swap deal to try and get Richarlison. If Spurs received a player in return, that may tempt them into cashing in. Their transfer plans will depend on what their next head coach decides to do.

Sancho, 25, has fallen out of favour with the Red Devils, hence why he was shipped out on loan to Chelsea last term. He doesn’t appear to have a future with his parent club and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him head out the exit door soon. For the time being though, he is due to return for pre-season.

He would be a useful addition for Spurs as he would give them more competition and depth on the wing. The Londoner may feel he has a point to prove in the game following his tough stint at United. In addition, he is still relatively young and has potential to get better down the line.

Cutting ties with Sancho would be a shrewd move by United. It would help free up space and funds to pave the way for reinforcements. They landed him back in 2021 after he impressed with Borussia Dortmund but the transfer just hasn’t worked out for one reason or another.

He was given the green light to link up with Chelsea on a temporary basis around 12 months ago after a brief return back at Dortmund. The Blues have decided not to sign him permanently though and are pursuing other targets under Enzo Maresca. Therefore, he is in limbo right now and his next destination is unknown.

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One transfer window may have slammed shut but it won’t be long before it’s reopened, hopefully a little more gently this time – and as always, 3 Added Minutes’ daily round-up of the juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours is here to help you keep track of all the likely moves. And some of the rather unlikely ones, too, come to that.

Let’s start with a story from Caught Offside, who claim that Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United are among the sides “keeping tabs” on a player currently playing for one of their top-flight rivals – Brentford midfielder Yegor Yarmolyuk.

The 21-year-old Ukraine international has been with the Bees since 2022 and has a long-term contract keeping him at the club, but that isn’t stopping several teams from showing interest, with Spurs and Leeds joined by Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Wolves and Everton in scouting him.

Apparently, Brentford have “set a price tag” of €30m – a shade over £25m – for Yarmolyuk in response, but that’s intended to be a hands-off warning rather than an invitation. No formal offers have yet been made, it seems, but it remains to be seen whether that hefty price tag has the desired effect.

The 3AM Verdict: Is that such a huge price for a young defensive midfielder who’s became a pretty regular presence in Brentford’s line-up last season? Perhaps, but the stats suggest that he’s growing into a useful player and it certainly seems as though Brentford want to keep him. Between the lack of clear-cut detail or corroborating sources and the fact that he’s under contract until 2031, however, we don’t think this one is likely to get over the line. The likely appointment of Thomas Frank might explain the Spurs link more than any solid sources, too.

Arsenal set to miss out on key transfer target

As Spurs eye one young midfielder, deadly rivals Arsenal seem set to get some bad news on one they wanted – according to David Ornstein, who is seldom wrong in these matters, the Gunners are going to miss out on 18-year-old Norwegian prodigy Sverre Nypan, who came within an inch of signing for them back in January.

The Rosenborg man decided to wait on a decision over his future a few months ago despite a deal being agreed between the clubs, and we now know why. Manchester City are now “close” to reaching a deal for Nypan, according to Ornstein, and only personal terms need to be sorted out.

No word on how much Nypan will cost but it will be a “club record fee” (presumably for Rosenborg, unless that Emirati money has really gone to Pep Guardiola’s head) and the deal will see the youngster spend a season on loan away from the Etihad before joining.

The 3AM Verdict: This one will sting a little, as Arsenal pursued Nypan for months and seemed to have landed him before an eleventh-hour rug pull – and now that rug has been dragged all the way to Manchester. We essentially always believe Ornstein, and it sounds like this is a done deal.

David Moyes eyes reunion with West Ham man

Everton seem set to win a four-horse race to sign a veteran Premier League star, according to TeamTalk – and manager David Moyes OBE is the man who made all the difference.

Former West Ham defender Vladimír Coufal, who officially leaves the London Stadium on a free transfer at the end of June, “favours” a move to Everton and a reunion with his old boss over the chance to join Fulham, Wolves or Leeds, according to the report, and has also chosen to reject a move to his homeland with Slavia Prague.

Coufal came close to joining Fulham in the winter, only for the deal to collapse, and the Cottagers seem destined to miss out once more. Everton, meanwhile, are also interested in another Moyes disciple in the shape of Tomáš Souček, but the article observes that he “won’t come cheap.”

The 3AM Verdict: With Ashley Young leaving on a Bosman of his own and Seamus Coleman reading retirement home brochures in his spare time, it makes sense that Everton would be in the market for a cheap player who can offer competition at right-back, and it makes equal sense for Coufal to want to play for a manager he knows will give him chances. A very logical report that sounds eminently plausible.