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Running the rule over the latest Premier League transfer rumours.

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Another day’s worth of gossip and speculation is in the books, and that means that it’s time for our regular morning round-up of the biggest and juiciest new Premier League transfer rumours – starting, today, with a story for Manchester United and Arsenal fans.

They are two of the teams said to be “eyeing up” a January move for Borussia Dortmund striker Serhiou Guirassy, a rumour mill staple who is set to be available this winter as a release clause in his contract comes into force – according to Caught Offside, anyway.

Apparently the 29-year-old striker, who has 65 Bundesliga goals to his name since moving to Germany in 2022, can be bought for €50m (£44m) and both Arsenal and United are “showing an interest” in striking a deal, along with European champions PSG.

It’s claimed that the release clause only applies to a small group of elite teams and it isn’t clear precisely who can trigger it, but in any case there’s no suggestion that any formal approaches have yet been made by any clubs – or whether Guirassy himself is likely to push for a move.

The 3AM Verdict: Guirassy’s name comes around all the time and we don’t think a Premier League move is likely to materialise this time, either. United could be persuaded to spend that kind of money but may have other priorities, while Arsenal spending that much on another striker this summer seems very unlikely. We think this is pure speculation with nothing much to back it up, quite frankly, and don’t see it happening.

Spurs ‘zero in’ on £70m centre-forward

Let’s head over to Tottenham Hotspur, now, with a story from TeamTalk which alleges that the club have “zeroed in” on 21-year-old Porto striker Samu Aghehowa and have made him their “dream” transfer target.

The free-scoring striker has been linked with several teams in the past but this article reckons that Spurs are determined to get their hands on the Spain international, despite a price tag of €80m (£70m) being slapped on his head.

It doesn’t sound like it’s possible to get this deal done in January, unfortunately for Spurs. Porto’s club president, former Spurs manager André Villas-Boas, has apparently declared Aghehowa to be “not for sale at any price in the winter,” and the report reckons that any hopes of a winter deal are “dead in the water.” Ivan Toney remains of interest, but Aghehowa is the player Spurs “truly covet.”

The 3AM Verdict: We won’t know for sure whether Aghehowa really is their primary target until the summer, but they are in the market for a striker and have been strongly linked with the Porto man before, so it’s perfectly plausible. It will be expensive, but they have the money and sorting out Toney’s salary won’t be easy either.

Manchester City involved in £35m ‘auction’

Let’s wrap things up with a story for the Manchester City supporters reading – Sport Witness have corralled a number of sources to pull together a picture of their apparent pursuit of Udinese midfielder Arthur Atta, who is “attracting interest” from several big sides.

Barcelona, AC Milan and Napoli have all “sought information” about the player and while they have seemingly been told that a January deal is unlikely, Udinese are prepared to start an “auction” in the summer with the bidding to begin at €40m (£35m).

There isn’t any suggestion that City have made an enquiry of their own, merely that they have the 22-year-old Frenchman on their “radar” and that they could be involved in the alleged auction in 2026. No word on the player’s own thoughts about his future.

The 3AM Verdict: Atta’s reputation is certainly growing but it’s too early to have a clear picture of which teams will make a bid – we’re at a speculative stage where a host of teams are said to be keen but where it’s also too early to know which will decide to make a move and which will hang back. At this point, Manchester City could fall into either camp.

Arsenal’s predicted XI against Tottenham Hotspur as they look to further cement their status as league leaders

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After falling to a surprise 2-2 draw against newly-promoted Sunderland in a roller coaster afternoon of football before the international break, Arsenal return to action to face North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

It’s a derby match and an occasion which always has an extra edge due to the long-standing rivalry between both players and supporters. Arsenal have the chance to try and further cement their status at the top of the table, but are more than aware of the threat posed by a Tottenham side that would love nothing more than putting a dent in their local rivals’ title dreams.

Arsenal remain in pole position to end their 21-year-wait for a league title but know that there’s plenty more challenges that they’ll have to overcome if they are to end up in the summit by the final kick in May.

The latest challenge and the one that everyone at the club’s been dreading is an injury to star defender Gabriel, who is out until January. But how will Arsenal replace him? And could we see a return for stars like Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres this weekend?

Arsenal predicted line-up vs Spurs: goalkeeper and defence

GK: David Raya: The Spaniard has arguably been the best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season and more than justified Arteta’s decision to bring him in for the popular Aaron Ramsdale over the course of the last few seasons.

RB: Jurrien Timber: Timber was injured by a bad tackle during the first half of the Netherlands' win against Lithuania, adding to the growing list of injury concerns. However, he was treated by physios and played on for another 30 minutes after the challenge, raising hope that he should be fit enough to start against Tottenham.

CB: William Saliba: French international Saliba has been one of the best in the business for a number of seasons now and will hope for another stellar defensive showing on derby day.

CB: Piero Hincape: The likes of Ben White, Timber and summer signing Cristhian Mosquera could all feasibly step up to replace Gabriel. However, this could be the time for Hincapie, a Bundesliga winner with Bayer Leverkusen to make his first league start since arriving from Germany.

LB: Riccardo Calafiori: The 23-year-old Italian is a slight doubt after suffering a knock on international duty, but is expected to regain fitness in time for this game as Myles Lewis-Skelly waits for an opportunity to shine.

Arsenal predicted line-up vs Spurs: midfield and attack

CM: Declan Rice: One of the Premier league’s finest midfielders on current form. Rice has lived up to the hype of being a £100m+ player from the moment he signed for Arsenal. His set piece ability is amongst the best in the league and could prove to be the difference-maker.

CM: Martín Zubimendi: Spanish midfielder Zubimendi has adapted excellently to life in English football and really looks at home in Arteta’s midfield. He’s expected to retain his starting spot.

CM: Eberechi Eze: Martin Odegaard is approaching a return to fitness and could feature in a cameo role, but we expect Eze to get the nod from the start. He’s shown plenty of promise since joining and has looked decent in the middle of the park so far.

RW: Bukayo Saka: Arguably Arsenal’s most influential attacking player. Saka often turns up in North London derbies and has delivered three goals and as many assists when facing the Lilywhites, winning six of his 10 matches against them.

ST: Mikel Merino: Spanish international Merino may have been signed as a central midfielder, but he’s often proved incredibly useful as a makeshift centre forward in a crisis. The former Newcastle United man could be asked to lead the line once again.

LW: Leandro Trossard: Gabriel Martinelli missed the last outing with a groin problem and is pushing for a return, but for the time being Trossard seems to be the first choice. The Belgian has been a great signing since his move from Brighton and is amongst Arsenal’s top players for goal contributions over the last 18 months.

Spurs are reportedly searching for a new top class goalkeeper

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If the gossip columns are even half-right, then Tottenham Hotspur will be one of the Premier League’s busiest teams come January. Scarcely a day goes by without the club being linked with a new player, be it a striker, a winger, a midfielder – or, now, a goalkeeper.

A new report from The Daily Mail claims that Spurs are actively pursuing a deal for a “world-class goalkeeper” to replace Guglielmo Vicario, and even gives Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez as a player they might go after in 2026. But is that a deal they could really make – and do they really need a replacement for their current number one?

Why Spurs might want to replace Guglielmo Vicario this season

At first blush, Spurs’ interest in moving on from Vicario after just two full seasons may seem a little strange. While not necessarily regarded as one of the very best in the business, Vicario has scarcely been the club’s biggest problem since he joined in 2023 and is currently having a highly productive season between the sticks.

Vicario is currently operating at a towering 77.3% save percentage, the best of his top-flight career to date and the third highest mark in the Premier League behind only Sunderland’s Robin Roefs and Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma. Meanwhile, he’s prevented 3.7 goals compared to the number he ‘should’ have conceded according to the xG model – only Dean Henderson has prevented more. By any standards, his shot-stopping has been superb since the summer.

Shot stopping isn’t the only metric by which a goalkeeper is judged, however, and there are areas in which Vicario can be improved upon, with his handling of set pieces and high balls into the box chief among them.

Vicario has previously acknowledged his need to work on the way he deals with dead ball situations and while it’s an area in which Spurs have improved considerably since Thomas Frank took over (they have conceded just two league goals from set pieces so far), Vicario is still finding the high ball to be a problem.

So far this season, Vicario is credited with having directly stopped just five of the 134 crosses he’s had launched into his box – a success rate of just 3.7%, a worrying low mark. It’s been a persistent weakness for much of his career, with the 2024/25 season when he handled 9.7% of crosses (an above average mark for the top flight) a distinct outlier. For much of his career, he has lacked conviction against the high ball, and it’s a concern in an age in which set plays are becoming increasingly important.

Vicario’s distribution may be making Frank fret, too. While accurate over short distances – he has completed every single attempted pass of under 30 yards he has attempted this season – he isn’t at his best playing the ball over longer distances, and that’s something Frank wants him to be doing. Since Ange Postecoglou left the club, the number of long kicks Vicario has been asked to attempt has more than doubled and while he isn’t the worst in the league by any stretch, his success rate with long passes is more than 10% lower than that of Alisson, who sets the bar for the Premier League right now. There is room for improvement.

The bigger picture does not suggest that Spurs should be immediately worried about Vicario, and replacing should surely not be the club’s first priority, but there are clear-cut weaknesses in his game and those provide reason to believe that the club can do better. But would Emi Martínez really be the answer?

Why Aston Villa’s Martínez is not the solution to Spurs’ goalkeeper search

It should be noted from the start that The Daily Mail did not suggest that Spurs have made a direct approach for Martínez, or that he is necessarily their preferred target – but he is suggested as a possibility, and is the only player named in their report about the club’s transfer strategy.

Martínez has, undeniably, been among the best goalkeepers in the world in recent years, winning the Yashin Trophy twice as well as a World Cup and the Copa America – but there have been definite signs of decline since last summer, and Villa appear to be relatively keen to move on from him themselves, with recent reports suggesting that they’re open to offers a few months after they came close to selling him to Manchester United.

As is the case with Vicario, Martínez’s shot stopping is now the primary concern, but his stats are still worse than those of Spurs’ current number one this season and have, more disconcertingly, fallen away considerably since some very impressive peaks in 2023/24.

His work against the high ball has also dropped off. Between 2022 and 2024 his work in the air was exceptional but he has only dealt with around 7.8% of crosses this year – better than Vicario, admittedly, but down from a single season peak of 12.4% not long ago. To cap it off, Martínez is also not noted for the quality of his long-distance distribution.

At best, Martínez would be a slight improvement in the short term, and given that he is 33 and showing clear signs of decline it would be a rather idiosyncratic decision for Spurs to sign him – there are goalkeepers out there who are stronger in the areas of concern while being rather younger and in no apparent danger of dwindling in the immediate future.

A slightly more thorough search would surely yield better options – perhaps players like Cagliari’s Elia Caprile or Valencia’s Julen Agirrezabala, both 24 and fine shot stoppers who are also superb in the air, or SC Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu, a raw 23-year-old whose positional game needs work but whose distribution is impressive and whose reflexes are beyond question. Chelsea and Manchester United have been linked with the latter already.

Spurs have some reasons to believe that moving on from Vicario at some stage would be the right move, depending on the qualities they prioritise in their goalkeeper – but there are surely better options out there than Martínez, and probably bigger fish to fry in January.

Bayern Munich and Premier League rivals Chelsea are among the other clubs chasing the Real Madrid superstar

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The January transfer window could already be a sliding doors moment for Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur, with the side’s limitations beginning to show themselves particularly in the Premier League. Since Tottenham bounced back from defeat to Bournemouth by emphatically beating West Ham at the London Stadium, they sit joint twelfth in the Premier League form table, level with disaster-riddled Liverpool.

However, while any title aspirations are looking more unlikely with a top-five finish more than adequate progress this campaign following that disastrous 17th place, Spurs still have a chance in the Champions League. In four of the last six seasons since Tottenham themselves reached the final, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Villarreal, and RB Leipzig have all made unlikely runs to at least the last four, and there’s no reason that Spurs can’t be that side this time around.

They’ve already drawn with and beaten two of the last three winners across 90 minutes and though Frank’s conservative style may not be winning over too many fans in North London, there’s no denying it’s effective especially against Europe’s best. Brentford picked up six points against big six opposition in each of Frank’s last two seasons, and a massive 21 in 2022/23 and all the evidence suggests that he’s brought that same effectiveness to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But he’ll need more stardust especially in attack, and hijacking Manchester City’s January move for Rodrygo would be the perfect way to do it.

Tottenham can’t afford to lose out on Rodrygo

Too often, Tottenham’s plan appears to be ‘give it to Mohammed Kudus and hope for the best’, with the Ghanaian having provided 50% of assists by The Lilywhites’ attackers in the league. Spurs need more incision on the left flank with Wilson Odobert having shone in flashes but yet to show the required end product. And though Brennan Johnson scored in that famous win over Manchester City, his underlying numbers aren’t good.

He’s averaging just 1.53 shot-creating actions (SCA) per game - half of Kudus’ tally - and only participates in a goal (GCA) every five matches. By contrast, all three of Pep Guardiola’s frontline wingers this season (Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Oscar Bobb) have higher SCA than Spurs’ top widemen and Johnson sits at the bottom of that combined list too.

And with Rodrygo apparently on the market, he can provide that spark, penetration and most importantly goal threat. In his final season as a regular starter in the capital, Rodrygo was in the top 15 La Liga players for SCA and GCA, higher than any of Spurs’ wingers are doing this season apart from Kudus.

Just as importantly, Rodrygo delivers in the biggest moments. He has 18 goals in senior knockout football - a phenomenal hit rate especially given his age and reduced role last season - and from hitting a hat-trick on his home Champions League debut has thrived the brighter the lights.

Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City are among those who can attest to his ability to break dreams and crush hearts with a timely strike. Which may explain why Guardiola is so keen to land Rodrygo in January.

Can Tottenham outbattle Man City and Europe’s best?

Having initially committed to fighting for his place in the Real Madrid in 2025/26,three starts so far have apparently changed Rodrygo’s mind. Players as talented and established as the Brazilian don’t come along very often and even less so from clubs like Real Madrid, so obviously there are plenty of suitors.

TEAMTalk believe Manchester City are the leaders in the clubhouse but Tottenham are chasing hard while Chelsea and Bayern Munich are reportedly interested.

The Citizens will be hard to beat but they’ll have a tougher job selling Rodrygo on his place at the Etihad Stadium. For all of Guardiola’s undoubted brilliance, he’s not found it as easy to integrate established superstars into his sides (for example Jack Grealish and Zlatan Ibrahimovich) and Rodrygo is undoubtedly in that bracket.

Jeremy Doku has started the season so strongly for The Citizens on the left flank and with the last memory of him in a sky blue shirt being that dismantling of Conor Bradley and Liverpool it seems unthinkable to imagine he could lose his place in the team or be forced out of position in a matter of weeks.

Off the back of finally breaking their trophy drought, Tottenham have the opportunity to truly establish themselves among Europe’s elite on the field as well as off it, but players like Rodrygo are who they must sign to make that happen so this is a chance they can’t afford to miss.

Antoine Semenyo’s recently-revealed release clause makes a January move far more likely - we break down the Bournemouth star’s options.

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Ever since Antoine Semenyo started the season with a brilliant brace against Liverpool, there has been speculation surrounding his future. His scintillating form and continued improvement at Bournemouth has made links with wealthier clubs inevitable, even if it all felt thoroughly speculative – until now, at least.

BBC Sport reported this week that Semenyo has a release clause worth £65m in the contract he signed this summer which activates for part of January. All of a sudden, those reports hinting at interest from Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and others seemed entirely realistic in a way that they hadn’t before.

It’s far from certain that he leaves in January. The negotiating window is small, his release clause reportedly drops and reactivates next summer, and more teams will have more cash to burn then – but the offers may well come in as teams search for ways to bolster their attacks heading into the home straight. But of the teams linked with a bid for Semenyo, which are actually likely to make a move this winter? And at which clubs might Semenyo truly thrive were he to leave?

Why Manchester United, Chelsea & Arsenal are unlikely to sign Antoine Semenyo

It would almost be quicker to list the teams which haven’t been linked with a move for Semenyo than to discuss all of those that have been individually – every team in the Premier League that’s noted as being a significant player in the transfer market has found their name crop up in the gossip columns with regularity, and it isn’t easy to discern which teams are seriously interested and which are merely being thrown into the rumours to add some heft.

No doubt all of the top flight’s biggest spenders have at least some passing interest, but a combination of financial realities and footballing factors are likely to rule some out, at least in January.

Chelsea are one of them. Not only have they invested heavily in Alejandro Garnacho (who is starting to find some form at Stamford Bridge) but they are expected to be cutting it fine financially in relation to UEFA’s spending rules, and that’s likely to reduce their financial flexibility in the near future.

The Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules won’t be a problem for Chelsea, with their sale of the women’s team to their owners’ company buying them a large amount of breathing room, but UEFA’s rules don’t allow the club to make use of that same loophole and there are already worries that they are at risk of sanctions from European football’s governing body. Clubs can always amortise their spending to some degree, but they are unlikely to have the breathing room to spend as much as £65m this winter.

Manchester United and Arsenal have slightly more financial breathing room, but not an immense amount – and both spent significant sums over the summer improving the same areas which Semenyo might.

United are looking at signing a new midfielder and a centre-forward with whatever funds they have available and with Mateus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo on the books, a move for Semenyo would be a luxury. Arsenal, meanwhile, may have questions over the long-term future of Gabriel Martinelli but with Eberechi Eze brought in and Leandro Trossard’s contact extended, a winger is not a priority addition – indeed, it would be unsurprising if Arsenal made no signings whatsoever this January.

All three of these teams are being linked with the Ghanaian on the rumour mill, but none are likely to be in position to make a move until next summer. If Semenyo remains at the Vitality Stadium in the short term, then they may become candidates for his signature down the line – for now, it would be a surprise if any of these three teams were involved in the bidding.

Liverpool, Manchester City & Spurs could be serious suitors

Sky Sports recently reported that the three teams they believed to be in the running for Semenyo were Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur – and here the rumours start to become more plausible.

All three teams in question should have the PSR headroom to make a £65m move (depending on how they chose to amortise their summer expenditure) and all three have good sporting reasons to want to add a new wide forward – although Spurs, who have plenty of PSR space to play with, are reported to be less replete with ready cash due in part to the ongoing costs of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In Spurs’ case, however, the biggest issue may be whether spending £65m on a winger is really the best use of funds. Like United, their priorities are a striker and a central midfielder, and it is likely that the development of players like Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert comes first, especially with Dejan Kulusevski set to return to fitness in December. Semenyo would be a fine addition to the team, but perhaps not an essential one. In any case, they may find it tricky to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool were all three teams to enter the fray.

That probably puts City and Liverpool at the front of the queue. Liverpool may have spent record-breaking sums on attacking additions already and Pep Guardiola may have kicked up a fuss about wanting to reduce his squad size over the summer, but both have issues in the final third that a player on Semenyo’s form could help to clear up.

Liverpool, in particular, have been out of sorts up front and may view themselves as being in something of a sunk-cost situation with regards to the lavish spending that was involved in bringing Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké to the club over the summer – if that hasn’t worked out, then another (relatively unspectacular) splash on Semenyo might make sense.

City, similarly, don’t have a pressing need for attacking reinforcements on paper but have found themselves far too dependent on Erling Haaland for goals – three months into the season, their second-highest scorer in the league is still Burnley’s Maxime Estève after his own goals for them. Semenyo, who has scored six in 11 games in the Premier League, could offer an answer to that issue.

The question Guardiola and his transfer team would have to answer is whether signing Semenyo would stand in the way of the progress of their young corps of wide forwards, many of whom are starting to hit their stride – Jérémy Doku has been excellent of late, Rayan Cherki has the potential to be a hugely productive member of the squad and Savinho is highly promising. If Guardiola is still concerned by his own squad size, he may well be wary of adding Semenyo into the mix.

Which perhaps makes Liverpool not only the most likely candidate to sign Semenyo this January but also the club who would offer him the best landing spot. Cody Gakpo is their only ‘true’ left winger, while Semenyo’s versatility could also make him a natural long-term successor to Mohamed Salah, with whom age finally appears to be catching up. He may make the biggest difference there and have the least impact on starting minutes for other players clubs are keen to develop – although Rio Ngumoha may feel slightly differently.

As it stands, no teams appear to have launched a bid or started discussions with Bournemouth or Semenyo’s representatives. This is still a speculative point in the story, and there is every chance that Semenyo prefers to wait until the summer to leave the south coast, when he may have more options available to him. But don’t be surprised if he’s wearing a red shirt by the middle of January, either. If he maintains his form and scoring rate over the next six weeks, then several sides will be salivating at the chance to sign him.

The latest Spurs injury news - with Mohammed Kudus, Dominic Solanke and Pape Matar Sarr among 12 players who could miss the North London Derby.

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Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action this weekend when they face fierce local rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby – but Thomas Frank will be sweating on the fitness of a number of his first-team players ahead of Sunday’s match at the Emirates Stadium.

Spurs were already dealing with a host of injuries and fitness issues heading into the international break and now have fresh concerns about midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, who was hurt while playing for Senegal, and Lucas Bergvall, who was forced to withdraw from the Sweden squad. Several players including Mohammed Kudus, Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, meanwhile, face battles to be fit.

In total, Spurs could be forced to make do without as many as 12 first-team players for the game against Arsenal – we’ve got all of the latest injury news and updates below, along with expected return dates for the stricken players.

How bad was Pape Matar Sarr’s injury over the international break?

The international break added a fresh name to the already lengthy list of players with fitness problems, with Sarr coming off just after half-time during Senegal’s 2-0 friendly defeat to Brazil – a match which somewhat ironically took place at the Emirates.

Sarr went down under a heavy challenge but his national manager Pape Thiaw seemed relatively unconcerned by the problem, describing his substitution as a “precaution” and adding that “I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

Despite that, Sarr has reportedly left the Senegal squad instead of travelling to Turkey to take part in Tuesday’s planned friendly match against Kenya. Spurs will assess him ahead of the North London Derby but the initial signs are that he will be available – the same can’t be said of another player who went down in that Senegal game, Arsenal defender Gabriel, who is now a major doubt for Sunday.

The only other fresh worry to emerge from the recent international matches concerns Lucas Bergvall, who has been sidelined since sustaining a concussion during the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at the start of the month. The young midfielder had been due to join Graham Potter’s Sweden side but pulled out with his recovery not going according to schedule. He remains a serious doubt for the weekend.

Will Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani or Mohammed Kudus be fit to face Arsenal?

Spurs are also waiting on updates on the health of several key players who sustained injuries of varying severity prior to the international break, including strikers Kolo Muani (jaw) and Solanke (ankle).

Kolo Muani is highly unlikely to be involved due to a fracture which Frank initially described as “nothing big” – but The Evening Standard now report that he could be out for as much as six more weeks, meaning the most pessimistic return date for the Frenchman would be late December. The club have not yet provided a full update on the fitness of Solanke, who they had hoped would be able to return to training ahead of the Arsenal match. He remains a major doubt.

There is also some concern over the availability of summer signing Kudus, who missed the last two matches due to what Frank described as a “knock” and eventually missed out on the Ghana squad as a result. The Spurs head coach has, however, said that he is “very confident” that the 25-year-old would be ready to face the Gunners and he is not seen as a major doubt for the derby.

Other doubts heading into the weekend include defenders Ben Davies and Kota Takai (both thigh) who are expected to train ahead of the match, although neither is likely to start if fit.

When Dejan Kulusevski and others could be back for Spurs

Several other Spurs players are set to miss out this weekend, including Archie Gray (calf) and Yves Bissouma (ankle), both of whom are expected back in early-to-mid December, and playmaker Dejan Kulusevski – although the Swede is inching towards a return from a knee ligament injury.

Frank has been coy with details of his return date but the winger is back training on grass and it is hoped that he will be back in the matchday squad at some stage in December. The North London Derby, however, will come too soon.

Radu Dragusin, another victim of an ACL injury, could be back in action this weekend – the Romanian played 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Leyton Orient over the break and is now in full training. He could be ready for the bench this weekend. James Maddison, Spurs’ third and final player to sustain an ACL injury, remains some way from a return and may miss the entire 2025/26 campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur have expressed an interest in a highly-rated Rangers star

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Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as the latest contenders to sign in-demand Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin in the January transfer window, according to Football Insider.

Raskin signed for Rangers in January 2023 and for the best part of two seasons has been considered one of the best players at the football club. He’s made 116 appearances in total, scoring eight times while providing 16 assists.

He plays in the defensive midfield position and has performed so well since moving to Ibrox for just £1.5m that he’s now a regular at international level for the Belgium national team.

Raskin has won all of his eight caps in 2025 and he’s played a solid role in the team’s qualification campaign - starting five of their seven matches so far while scoring once, leaving The Red Devils on the cusp of qualification for the World Cup in North America.

The 25-year-old is viewed as a player that’s ready to make the next step into the Premier League. However, Rangers, who have ambitions of establishing themselves as a force once again under their new owners, are reluctant to sell, particularly based on Raskin’s stellar performances under Danny Rohl since his arrival as manager.

Is Nicolas Raskin likely to leave Rangers in the near future?

Nicolas Raskin has 18 months to run on his contract at Rangers and has previously shown an interest in exploring options elsewhere.

He was bombed out of the squad for the Glasgow derby in August following his conduct behind the scenes, and despite regaining his place under Russell Martin and remaining in the first team under Danny Rohl, remains a player that could depart.

Rangers are keen to keep him for as long as possible but could be willing to listen to offers of around £20m to facilitate a sale.

Tottenham are believed to be the frontrunners, but Wolves, Aston Villa and West Ham have also been mentioned as potential suitors by TEAMtalk, along with two sides in Italy.

Quite where Raskin would fit in at Tottenham remains to be seen. Joao Palhinha, who has been a smart addition on loan, has played regularly. As has, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur.

The wild Rangers and Tottenham swap deal which could suit both

Rangers are beginning to see the benefits of one Tottenham player in Mikey Moore. The youngster has certainly taken time to get to grips with the physical demands of Scottish football since his loan move, but is starting to show signs of the flair and quality which made him such a favourite at academy level.

Spurs have a lot of quality youngsters in their squad but haven’t necessarily been able to give all of them the amount of football required to flourish. Similarly, they also have a few experienced pros in their team that have fallen out-of-favour under Thomas Frank.

One of those is Wales international Ben Davies. The 32-year-old has been with the Lillywhites for 11 years and has racked up 358 appearances, scoring nine times and contributing 26 assists.

He played a small role in Tottenham’s Europa League-winning season with 28 appearances in total and over the last few campaigns has dropped from a regular at left-back to a reliable utility player, capable of doing a job in various different positions such as central defence.

However, he’s not played a single match under Frank since his appointment over the summer and appears to be a player surplus to requirements despite signing a one-year-extension at the end of last term.

Davies, who has 100 caps for Wales, will hope for regular football in the coming months, particularly if the Dragons can sneak into a play-off space ahead of North Macedonia in the run-up to the World Cup.

The Wales international would bring much needed leadership to Rangers’ defence, is arguably an upgrade on what they already have and would offer vital versatility and bags of experience to the Light Blues.

If they are to sell Raskin, it might be worth them trying to get a large portion of cash with Davies as part of the deal. Failing that they could also look to try and agree a six-month loan deal for someone like Archie Gray to fill the void left by Raskin in the short-term and give the former Leeds United man a platform to prove what he’s capable of after limited game-time.

The latest Arsenal injury news ahead of the North London Derby - with updates on new issues suffered by Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori.

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Arsenal will put their 14-match unbeaten streak to the test in the North London Derby this weekend – but their chances of defeating local rivals Tottenham Hotspur may be set to go down after some bad news from the international break.

Defenders Gabriel Magalhães and Riccardo Calafiori both picked up injuries while on international duty over the weekend, which could deepen Mikel Arteta’s selection headache ahead of Sunday’s match. Players such as Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke and Martin Ødegaard are also battling for fitness ahead of the game, and as many as eight players could miss out for Arsenal.

To help their supporters keep track of the team news ahead of the showdown with Spurs, we’ve collected all of the latest Arsenal injury news below along with the stricken players’ expected return dates when available.

Gabriel & Calafiori pick up international injuries for Arsenal

Saturday proved to be a difficult day for Arsenal defenders, with Gabriel injured during Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal while Calafiori was sent home from Italy’s camp within hours of each other.

Gabriel was replaced after a little over an hour of Brazil’s win – which happened to be hosted at the Emirates – after going down with what later turned out to be a quad injury (reported, seemingly wrongly, as a knee injury by some media outlets).

The Brazilian FA stated that tests on Sunday had confirmed the problem, with Gabriel remaining in London before the rest of the national squad travelled to France for a friendly against Tunisia. No detailed prognosis has yet been made available and no return date provided, but it is likely that the centre-back misses at least a short stretch of games, including the North London Derby.

Calafiori, who was sent home from the Italian camp on Saturday after failing to recover from a hip injury, is more likely to be involved this weekend. His withdrawal from the squad is not believed to represent a major issue, however, with The Daily Mirror echoing reports from Italy suggesting that he will be ready to play against Spurs despite the knock.

Will any of Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke or Martin Ødegaard be back to play Spurs?

Arsenal have also been sweating on the fitness of four players who weren’t able to take part in national duties this week – with Ødegaard, Madueke and Kai Havertz (all knee) pushing for a return while summer signing Gyökeres and winger Gabriel Martinelli also face potential late fitness tests due to a pair of unspecified injuries.

Arteta has yet to confirm the availability of any of the five, but did say prior to the international break that they were “not far off” and that they should be “very close” to making their comebacks once the November break was over.

Since then, however, Arteta has sounded a more negative note concerning the fitness of club captain Ødegaard, cautioning that he was “some distance away” from making a comeback, with reports suggesting that his return has been delayed until early December. The remaining four should be back in November, with all having a reasonable chance of playing at least some part against Spurs - although the lack of information about Gyökeres’ situation makes it very hard to be sure that he is close to being involved.

One player who will certainly miss out is striker Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian, who is rehabilitating after rupturing his ACL in January during an FA Cup matcha against Manchester United, is back in team training but is not scheduled to return to action until late December at the earliest.

Thomas Frank’s Spurs need a left-wing upgrade and have been linked with stars like Antoine Semenyo and Ademola Lookman

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After Thomas Frank’s era at Tottenham Hotspur began so brightly, he’s starting to lose his lustre in the dugout and will require an impactful January transfer window to reinvigorate the project in north London.

Spurs struggle to play through a press effectively - at least when Micky van de Ven isn’t unleashing his inner Diego Maradona - with Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur not the most creative double-pivot in world football, and can’t break down a dug-in low block easily either.

Despite ranking fifth for the most possession in the Premier League this season, Tottenham are shockingly 17th for shot volume, having taken only three more than Wolves, and over 50 less than both Liverpool and Arsenal who are top of the ranking. They’re also 14th for shot volume, below Aston Villa who couldn’t even hold a goal of the month competition in August, and mid-table in terms of the most touches in the attacking third.

Another area they could target to improve this is the left wing position. Too often Tottenham’s attacking plan seems to just be ‘give it to Mohamed Kudus and hope’ and only five top-flight sides have launched more attacks down the right flank than Frank’s men. And while they’ve been linked with a host of big names like Antoine Semenyo and Ademola Lookman, a more prudent signing could be Vasco de Gama’s 19-year-old Rayan.

Gareth Bale regen Rayan could electrify Tottenham attack

“A technically skilled left-footed player who is fast, powerful, and elegant,” was the CIES Football Observatory verdict on Rayan, a description that could just as accurately be applied to a young Gareth Bale after Harry Redknapp moved him from full-back to left midfield.

And interestingly, their closest player comparison was to another Tottenham January target on the wing, Antoine Semenyo. The analysis also highlighted the teenagers’ versatility (“[he] primarily plays as a right winger, but can perform well in any attacking position”), his finishing being more threatening than his creation at this early stage, both of which are similar to the Welsh wizard who is only a centimetre taller than Rayan.

Bale was shortlisted for the FIFPro World XI while playing on both wings, recorded seven goals to two assists in his first season as an attacking player, and it’s no exaggeration to say Rayan could follow the same trajectory in north London.

Despite Vasco having a poor season in 2025, Rayan scored 12 times in 30 games so he’s already shown his eye for goal, and his ability to beat a defender then turn it into a shot which is an attribute Frank and Tottenham desperately need to electrify their attack. If he could transfer his average of 3.06 shots per full game from Brazil to England’s top flight, he would rank fourth Premier League for shot volume (according to Opta via FBref.com excluding those who’ve played less than five games).

Of course, it’s not realistic to except him to seamlessly adapt to the Premier League but Bale (or Jeremy Doku as a more recent example) show the returns that can be reaped from giving such a talented dribbler the runway to develop in the division.

Vasco star fits Thomas Frank signing profile

While the signing of Mohamed Kudus and Xavi Simons showed Frank will be working a higher calibre of recruit than Brentford, the Dane remains one of the best managers in Europe for Rayan to develop under.

Former Blackburn Rover David Raya, Posh star Ivan Toney, Addick Ezri Konsa and ex-Troyes forward Bryan Mbeumo were among the Bees’ gems signed from outside the top five leagues and even more well-known additions like Kevin Schade, and Yoane Wissa came from clubs who have been in the second tier within a few years of selling to Brentford.

Meanwhile Sepp van den Berg and Christian Norgaard did come from bigger clubs but had combined for less than 600 minutes for Liverpool and Fiorentina, so building up Rayan from a practically unknown prospect to a Premier League star would be far from uncharted waters for Frank.

Despite Rayan’s contract expiring on New Year’s Eve 2026, he’s been valued at €30 million (£26.4m) with a release clause of €40m (£35.1m) according to ESPN, and given the clubs that are interested in him it’s not inconceivable that the bidding will go that high.

Real Betis reportedly considered the Brazilian as an alternative target to Antony while Porto, Fiorentina and Aston Villa were also apparently interested while he was on the radars of Saudi Pro League clubs Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal before making it clear he wanted a move to Europe.

Vasco de Gama are resigned to losing their star before the start of the next Campeonato Brasileiro season, and Tottenham can be one of his most attractive landing spots. They’re the biggest club confirmed to be chasing Rayan and he can bring

Tottenham Hotspur could secure a massive swap deal with Real Madrid as they aim to sign a world-class Los Blancos star

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Tottenham Hotspur have seen an inconsistent start to life under Thomas Frank as the Lilywhites look to return to where they feel they belong in the Premier League after last season’s 17th-placed finish under Ange Postecoglou.

With that in mind, Spurs have begun the season well as they currently sit fifth. However, their home form has left much to be desired and multiple new signings have struggled to settle in thus far. With the pressures of playing twice a week likely to set in as we approach the busy winter period, Frank and his staff could use this international break to devise a plan for the January transfer window.

A new face or two could ultimately prove the difference as the north London side look to kick on in the spring, with one star in particular taking their fancy as the winter window fast approaches.

Tottenham interested in Real Madrid wing wizard Rodrygo

Spurs were reportedly interested in Real Madrid and Brazil star Rodrygo over the summer, but a move failed to materialise and the Brazilian stayed put at the Bernabeu. He has failed to make a significant impression on new boss Xabi Alonso, though, making just two La Liga starts and playing a measly 255 minutes of football as Los Blancos begin the campaign top of the league.

For a man cited as being worth €100 million (£87m) for much of the summer, the amount of time he has spent sat on the bench is neither good enough for the player nor a good business move by the club, who must be worried that the 24-year-old’s value will depreciate if he continues not to get regular minutes.

In could step Spurs. Frank’s side remain interested in a move for the Brazilian as per Fichajes, while Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed via his YouTube channel that links between Rodrygo and Chelsea are completely false. This could leave the door wide open for Spurs to approach Real with a stunning proposal ahead of rival suitors Manchester City.

Rodrygo and Lucas Bergvall swap deal could be huge solution

If Spurs are to secure a massive deal for a player who would be a massive game-changer for Frank’s side, they may have to reluctantly sanction the sale of one of their own young stars in part-exchange for Rodrygo.

Real Madrid were linked with 19-year-old midfielder Lucas Bergvall earlier this year, and Los Blancos may come calling again if Spurs push forward with their interest in Rodrygo. Sweden international Bergvall is capable of playing in a variety of midfield positions and has caught the eye with his classy displays and ambition in the middle of the park. Real have a history of securing future world-class players such as Luka Modric and Gareth Bale from Spurs, and wonderkid Bergvall could become the latest to swap London for Madrid.

Former Brentford manager Martin Allen recently said of the player: “He’s got his best years ahead of him. Tottenham must have tied him down to a long-term contract because clubs like Real Madrid are going to be looking at him; they are going to be taking an interest. So they’re going to do well to keep hold of him, I think.”

Spurs would likely have to pay a hefty sum on top of the services of Bergvall in exchange for Rodrygo, with the Swedish teenager currently worth €40m according to Transfermarkt. But the inclusion of the wonderkid in a deal could convince Real that north London is the right destination for their Brazilian star, who is likely to attract increased transfer interest as long as his bit-part role under Alonso continues.