FourFourTwo

Former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder Dele Alli has been linked with a shock move as he attempts to reignite his career.

The 29-year-old was once a key figure for Spurs, registering an incredible 27 Premier League goal involvements at his peak in 2016/17.

He also racked up 37 caps for the Three Lions before beginning to fade prematurely amid personal issues.

Dele Alli set for shock move away from Europe

Dele opened up about his struggles in a moving, in-depth interview with Gary Neville for The Overlap, where he described how a difficult upbringing created issues that carried through into his adult life.

Spells at Everton, Besiktas and Como have yet to push him back to where he once was in the game, but the midfielder is not for giving up.

According to pundit Cesar Cidade Dias, in a piece for GZH, Dele has been offered to Brazilian club Gremio.

It follows two other former Premier League stars, Fabian Balbuena and Carlos Vinicius, being linked with the Porto Alegre side in recent weeks.

Dele made just one appearance last term for Como, a nine-minute cameo which saw him pick up a straight red card, and is seeking a new challenge ahead of the 2026 World Cup, having previously stated that he aims to regain his England spot for the tournament.

However, GZH goes on to state that Dele’s wage demands could be too high for Gremio, and in any case, the club are looking to limit risk-taking in the market following a string of unsuccessful signings.

In FourFourTwo’s view, while this move would make for a really intriguing story, it doesn’t feel like the best move for Dele.

Brazil is a long way from home, in a league that won’t have the same eyes on it as a European division.

If he wants to make a final play to regain his England spot, after a few seasons with limited football, he needs to make sure he’s firmly in Thomas Tuchel’s eyeline.

Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a shock approach to Real Madrid regarding winger Rodrygo

Spurs have not been shy in spending the windfall their Europa League triumph, and subsequent Champions League entry, has provided them.

They have already brought Thomas Frank into the dugout from Brentford, nabbed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United and are working on a slightly complicated deal for Nottingham Forest man Morgan Gibbs-White.

Tottenham Hotspur muscle in on Liverpool and Arsenal target Rodrygo

Rodrygo holds an odd place in the football hierarchy; undoubtedly one of the best attackers in the world, but somewhat in the shadows at the Bernabeu, with stars like Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham taking much of the limelight.

In the likes of Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz, Los Blancos have plenty of cover for the Brazilian’s right-wing berth, creating suggestions that he could be available for the right price.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Spurs are looking to make a statement by signing Rodrygo.

Given the money already spent this window, the report reveals that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, ever the negotiator, hopes to get the price for the winger below €90m.

Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been credited with an interest, but the Gunners have just signed Noni Madueke, while the Blues have brought in Jamie Gittens and Estevao in this window, which will surely reduce their need for a Rodrygo-level signing.

Madrid and the player have agreed to sit down to discuss his position, but “the ball is in Rodrygo’s court”, according to AS.

In FourFourTwo’s view, although Spurs had a disastrous season in the Premier League, they did net their first silverware in 17 years last term, so if they want to be considered among the elite in Europe once again, they need to strike while the iron’s hot.

There is no better time than now, with their Europa League winnings and Champions League money on the way, and signing one of Madrid’s top attackers would be a clear signal of intent.

Levy is a stubborn dealmaker, but if he can find a way to make this one work, he must make every effort to get it over the line.

Tottenham are set to battle four Champions League teams to sign a Premier League defender.

Spurs can also offer a place in Europe’s premier competition thanks to their Europa League final win against Manchester United at the end of last season.

However, aside from that silverware, it was a difficult season for the north London side, who suffered a number of defensive injuries and wound up finishing 17th in the league, leading to the sacking of former boss Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham to battle PSG, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool for Premier League defender

Spurs were already, therefore, in need of cover at the back, but their needs may become even starker if Atletico Madrid follow up on their interest in Cristian Romero.

Thomas Frank’s side have a replacement in mind and are ready to commit, but it still looks a difficult deal to conclude.

According to CaughtOffside, Spurs are interested in Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi and are ready to pay his full €70m asking price.

Transfer journalist Duncan Castles has claimed on the Transfers podcast that the club have already launched a bid of that value, too.

That may not be enough to get the deal done, however, as the player is currently focused on Paris Saint-Germain, who have bid multiple times for the Ukraine international but are yet to see an offer accepted by the Cherries.

That’s added to interest from Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool, all teams who could use the services of a young, Premier League-proven centre-back. But Zabarnyi is believed to have handed in a transfer request to fast-track a move to the French capital, in a deal PSG are confident they can get done.

Dominic Solanke – whose £54.42 million move from Bournemouth in the 2024/25 summer window made him one of the top 100 most expensive players of all time – broke the record for being the Lilywhites' record signing last summer.

The BBC reported Kudus' fee as being £55m earlier this month – and now chairman Daniel Levy may sanction an even bigger move.

In FourFourTwo’s view, Spurs are still behind in the running for the Ukrainian: PSG, following their Champions League win with a stable of young talent, are widely regarded as one of the best teams in Europe and will be fancied to go far in the competition once again this year.

While Tottenham are in the competition too, the outlook is not as promising, with the Lilywhites having snuck in via the Europa League back door after finishing a jaw-dropping 17th in the Premier League.

Not to mention PSG are further along in their interest with multiple bids already submitted. It seems a simple choice for the player.

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to disrupt Paris Saint-Germain’s pursuit of a Premier League defender with an audacious offer.

It follows Spurs’ capture of Mohammed Kudus from fellow London-based side West Ham United, in a deal worth £55m.

He’s one of five permanent signings confirmed for the north London outfit so far this summer, as the club prepares for Thomas Frank’s first season in charge.

Tottenham to rival PSG for Bournemouth star

It’s no secret that injuries affected the Lilywhites last year, particularly in defence, with substantial absences for Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero requiring teenager Archie Gray, predominantly a midfielder by trade, to fill in.

Chairman Daniel Levy appears determined for Frank not to encounter the same problems as Ange Postecoglou and so is looking to the market to bolster the squad’s defensive options.

In that search, they have landed on Bournemouth centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi, according to Gianluca Di Marzio, who arrived in the Premier League from Dynamo Kyiv two years ago.

The report states that Champions League winners PSG are interested and have tabled offers of around €60m, which have been rejected by the Cherries.

Spurs are willing to go one better in their pursuit of the Ukraine international by preparing to offer the €70m that Bournemouth are thought to be requesting to sanction an exit.

Despite Tottenham appearing to be the top bidders as things stand, the Italian outlet goes on to reveal that PSG is Zabarnyi’s preferred option as things stand.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, while Zabarnyi is no doubt a top player, it feels like a lot of money to spend in a position where Spurs are already well-stocked.

Alongside the main pairing of Van de Ven and Romero, Spurs already the likes of Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies on the books, not to mention young trio Luka Vuskovic, Ashley Phillips and Kota Takai waiting for minutes in the wing.

The Lilywhites no doubt feel burnt by the situation they were left in last season defensively, but they no longer seem to have a problem in that department that requires a €70m solution.

A Tottenham striker is in talks over a record transfer.

Thomas Frank is looking to mould the Spurs squad into his vision, and has already taken steps to do that, signing Mohammed Kudus from West Ham to add to his attacking armoury.

There have not yet been any major outgoings, despite Cristian Romero being heavily linked with a move away from north London, but one may be imminent and it could come at a record cost.

Tottenham striker in record transfer talks

Frank has inherited a squad that is in need of a major overhaul, despite winning the Europa League last season.

They are hoping to add Morgan Gibbs-White to it in the not too distant future, and they could be about to fund it with a major sale.

According to Matheus Filipe in the newspaper Terra, Club World Cup quarter-finalists Palmeiras are looking to sign Richarlison for a club record fee.

Club president Leila Pereira is said to be leading the negotiations, and according to the report has been in contact with Richarlison for the last two weeks.

Tottenham are said to be demanding a fee of £55 million, something the Brazilians believe they can get near following their recent prize money from the Club World Cup. It would smash the €25 million they spent on Vitor Roque in January.

Fluminense and Flamengo are said to be monitoring the situation of the 28-year-old who still has two years in his contract in north London. He is valued at just €20 million by Transfermarkt.

Part of the pitch to Richarlison is a high level of exposure to a domestic audience ahead of the World Cup next year, with a prominent place in the squad.

He managed just five goals in all competitions last season, and it may be the time to return back to Brazil after a tough spell at Tottenham where he has failed to nail down a starting space.

Morgan Gibbs-White is set to leave Nottingham Forest for an altogether different challenge.

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to sign the former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder, who made his England debut last year during an outstanding season in the Premier League.

Spurs met a hitherto unreported release clause of £60 million and, from that point on, Gibbs-White leaving the City Ground for the capital appeared to be a formality.

A well-trodden but treacherous road

It was reported on Friday that Forest were considering legal action over what they deemed an illegal approach from Spurs for Gibbs-White, but it seems unlikely to do anything but delay a move that, suddenly, feels inevitable.

Leaving aside the wisdom or otherwise of Forest limiting themselves to a relatively meagre profit on an exceptional player while the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules are so prominent a factor in the way clubs operate, it’s a transfer that’s not without its pitfalls for Spurs and the player.

For Spurs, it’s a financial risk. A £60 million fee and several years of wages can’t be taken lightly and there are no sure things in football. It’s a risk worth taking for a player of Gibbs-White’s ability, however, and there’s every chance they’d recoup a good chunk of their outlay even if it didn’t work out as planned.

But it’s a gamble for the 25-year-old, too. There’s an obvious logic built into the transfer market and a Champions League club making an offer for a competitive sportsperson who backs himself is almost always going to lead to a move.

Spurs finished in the lower reaches of the Premier League in their second season under manager Ange Postecoglou but are embracing their return to Europe’s top club competition and backing new boss Thomas Frank to the hilt.

With Mathys Tel’s loan converted to a permanent switch and a fee reported to be in the region of £55 million already spent on Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United, Gibbs-White is heading for north London at an exciting time.

Like Kudus, he will believe that he’s going to slot right in and be everything to Spurs that he was to Forest.

He definitely can. He probably will. But many highly rated young English players before him have taken their career-defining step up and found themselves stuck.

Home-grown player requirements are just one of the reasons behind Premier League clubs’ willingness to fork out mega money for English players.

Proven top-flight experience carries a premium and the ability to catch the eye at over-performing clubs is catnip to the drifting giants they displace.

Gibbs-White is the latest in a long line of upwardly mobile English players tempted to test themselves but he doesn’t have to look back as far as Steve Sidwell or Scott Parker or Jack Rodwell to heed the lessons of a spotty past.

No elite footballer is likely to look at the limbo of others and truly believe it will happen to them but the situations faced this summer by Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish serve as a harsh warning to players of Gibbs-White’s impressive ilk that the grass they know is sometimes greener.

Sancho is one of the five players openly cast out by Manchester United, unloved and unwanted and unsold thus far, and his career is in a stall until he finds the right move away from Old Trafford.

Grealish has won the Premier League three times as well as a treble since moving from Aston Villa to Manchester City and his transfer can hardly be described as a failure, but he too is on the outs with his club.

City don’t want him and his wage demands, inflated by his last move, must be slamming doors in his face left, right and centre this summer. Only he can say whether it was all worth it.

The intangible dynamic that confident players can’t afford to obsess over is that sometimes a club, a situation, is just the right fit. Ambition generally takes precedence but there’s no accounting for the performance potential of comfort.

Sancho suited Borussia Dortmund. Grealish suited Villa. Their clubs suited them too and not even a colossal transfer fee and the best laid recruitment plans of wealthy clubs can guarantee the same.

Gibbs-White’s unspoken hope will be that his perfect fit is the club he’s moving to, not the one he’s leaving.

Forest put themselves in a situation where they had no say over Gibbs-White’s departure but the player, if he takes the widely expected next step, will be issuing a vote of confidence in himself, in Frank, and in Spurs to be his perfect fit.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Gibbs-White has all the attributes to become an essential player for Frank’s new-look Spurs and avoid the pitfalls that some English players before him have encountered.

The word ‘journeyman’ in football is usually associated with middling players, who were never able to cement themselves at one particular club, forcing them to live out a nomadic career.

Christian Vieri is the exception that proves the rule, as the former Italy forward would move clubs 14 times after coming up through the ranks with Torino, but cannot be described as ‘middling’.

His 1999 move from Lazio to Inter Milan was for a world record £32million fee, while his total transfer fees during his 18-year career came in just shy of £100million. The majority of this career was spent in Italy, with short stints in La Liga and Ligue 1, but the cricket-loving, Australian-raised star never made it to the Premier League.

Christian Vieri on his England near-misses

Vieri’s physique, power and technique meant he had all the attributes to succeed in the Premier League, and the 51-year-old admits he did have offers.

“Yeah, I was close to Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea,” he tells FourFourTwo. “When Spurs were showing interest, I also had the option to go to Monaco and I decided to go there.

“Two years before, I could’ve gone to Chelsea, I think when Sven-Goran Eriksson was possibly going there. A guy called to ask me if I wanted to join Chelsea, but I said no. I wanted to stay at Inter at the time.”

Vieri’s first nine seasons as a professional were spent at nine different clubs, before he arrived at Inter Milan in 1999, where he spent six seasons. He now admits that if he had been a one-club man, he would have wanted it to have been there.

“Inter. I really enjoyed it there,” Vieri continues. “I loved playing with Ronaldo and playing for the fans in that stadium. I stayed there for six years, and they became my club.

“When I can, I go to see them in Milan. I remember days when 10,000 people were there just to watch training.

“But the fact that I spent the first years of my career at several different clubs was a coincidence. If I liked the proposal of a club, I went. As a footballer, you play for 15 to 20 years and you have to make the best decisions for yourself.

“It’s a job, so I went where I felt I could do a good job. That was my motivation. I had a lot of good times – it’s an amazing life as a professional footballer.”

Nottingham Forest have placed Morgan Gibbs-White’s move to Tottenham Hotspur on hold.

It was reported on Thursday evening by the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath that the England international was heading to north London for a medical after Spurs triggered his release clause.

But what seemed like a done deal now appears to be in jeopardy.

Nottingham Forest halt Gibbs-White move to launch Spurs complaint

It was revealed by McGrath that Spurs had triggered Gibbs-White’s £60m release clause, an element of his contract that had previously not been public knowledge.

That intricacy appears to form the basis of Forest’s argument.

It was reported by Sky Sports News the following day that Forest consider the move off for now as they take on legal advice about potential action against Spurs, cutting off all communication with their fellow Premier League side.

Per the Sky Sports News report, Forest claim that the north London side approached Gibbs-White without their permission, with suspicions raised by Spurs pitching their bid at exactly the same level as the previously under-wraps release clause.

It now remains to be seen whether Forest can block the transfer, but it is not expected to be as swift as once thought, with a complaints procedure now to follow.

Neither club commented on the development when contacted by Sky Sports News.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, regardless of whether Forest’s claim is upheld or not, they may have been better served by banking the money and continuing their summer business.

Even in a scenario where their complaint is upheld, if this does call the move off they will surely only have the benefit of a heavily disgruntled player in their ranks.

If Forest are unsuccessful this will feel like a time-wasting distraction at a moment when key figures at the club could have been out procuring their Gibbs-White replacement. It feels like lose-lose territory for the East Midlands club.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly in talks to sign a star who won promotion to the Premier League last season.

Spurs are looking to bolster their squad after a difficult season that saw them finish just one place above the relegation zone.

They have already landed permanent deals for defenders Kota Takai, Luka Vuskovic and Kevin Danso, but feel there’s still room in their rearguard ranks.

Tottenham Hotspur in second attempt to land promoted star

Spurs are keen watchers of the league below, having landed the likes of Archie Gray and Djed Spence in recent years based on their performances in the Championship.

There has been a change in the dugout, with Thomas Frank replacing Ange Postecoglou, but their admiration of talent displayed in the second tier has not altered.

According to French outlet L’Equipe, Spurs are attempting to sign Burnley defender Maxime Esteve.

It’s the north London club’s second attempt at signing the France youth international, with L’Equipe also revealing that they offered around €24m for the player in the winter window.

Burnley rejected that offer and went on to win promotion to the Premier League, with Esteve, along with CJ Egan-Riley and goalkeeper James Trafford, the primary cast credited with the Claret’s incredible defensive record last term, conceding just 16 goals in 46 games.

The same report claims Burnley demanded €35m in the winter, but with promotion complete and Spurs able to offer Champions League football, Scott Parker’s side may struggle to stand too defiantly in Esteve’s way.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Esteve is clearly highly rated by the powerbrokers at Spurs, on account of the repeated attempts to sign him.

However, Spurs are already very well stocked in central defence, so his competition for minutes will not be easy.

That could be the only bargaining chip left in Parker’s arsenal; he’s already lost Egan-Riley to Marseille, and Trafford is being linked away, so holding Esteve could prove vital for the Clarets’ survival.

New Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has an almighty challenge on his hands in North London.

Despite winning the Europa League and therefore qualifying for the Champions League, the club experienced their worst Premier League finish this century, finishing 17th, 13 points above the drop.

Frank will be hoping to mould some of the squad into his own vision, which could see several outgoings occur in order to make way for his preferred players at Tottenham.

Price for Yves Bissouma's Tottenham Hotspur exit revealed, as side plot a move

Interest in several players has already been logged with captain Heung-min Son's future uncertain, as well as that of vice-captain Cristian Romero.

The latest player to be linked with a move away from north London is Yves Bissouma, who was an important member in Ange Postecoglou's team in the past two years.

According to Tuttomercato, Juventus are interested in his signature. The 28-year-old has just a year remaining on his current deal, and Spurs' asking price is reportedly between €20-30 million.

He started 16 Premier League games last season, making 12 appearances from the bench, scoring two goals.

Bissouma started the Europa League final as Tottenham beat Manchester United 1-0 to end their 17-year trophy drought.

Juventus' dream signing is Sandro Tonali, and they also hold an interest in Davide Fratessi from Inter Milan and Ederson from Atalanta, but all remain complicated deals so they have looked elsewhere.

In FourFourTwo's view, for Tottenham the deal may come at the perfect time. Losing Bissouma for a fee this summer is preferable to losing him for nothing next summer, allowing them to boost the funds available for new manager Frank.

For Bissouma, more guaranteed minutes may tempt him to leave England after seven years.