Tottenham Hotspur have come flying out of the blocks in this summer’s transfer window as Antonio Conte wastes no time in continuing his rebuild of a squad with whom he achieved a magnificent return to UEFA Champions League football last season.
Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma have all joined so far this month, and while it has been well reported that Spurs are after Leeds United’s Raphinha, rumours have now emerged that director of football Fabio Paratici is working on a “surprise transfer” behind the scenes.
According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano in an interview with Wettfreunde, a central defender who is not widely reported as being on Tottenham ’s radar could yet join the club.
Romano said: “Tottenham’s goals in central defence will depend on the price. I can tell you that one of the players they have been watching for a long time is Mohamed Simakan from RB Leipzig. Another player they greatly appreciate is Josko Gvardiol. These are two players who really like them, but it depends on the price.
“We know how difficult it is to negotiate with Leipzig. In terms of top goals: Pau Torres was on the verge of moving to Tottenham a year ago. It could happen this summer, depending on the negotiations with Giovani Lo Celso. But so far there is nothing concrete. We heard rumours about a possible move for Torres a few days or weeks ago.
“But at the moment there is nothing in sight. Alessandro Bastoni was a top target, but he remains with Inter. Milan Škriniar would have the opportunity to leave. Maybe to move to PSG, who are ahead at the moment. But Bastoni is a really complicated matter.
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“I’m sure Tottenham will get a central defender because Antonio Conte really wants one. For the moment, you have to keep an eye on RB Leipzig’s attackers in particular. But they are not easy to negotiate. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fabio Paratici (Tottenham’s sporting director) conjures a surprise out of the hat, because he is washed with all waters.”
As Romano mentions, Tottenham's interest in the likes of Simakan, Gvardiol and Torres as potential new additions has already been reported, but it now raises the question as to who this “surprise transfer” could be, given that keeping big news like this a secret remains incredibly difficult.
Spurs settled on a back three or Cristian Romero, Eric Dier and Ben Davies last term, but at least one top-end signing will be needed in order to remain competitive next term and contain world-class players when playing in the Champions League.
The Lilywhites have also been linked with Torino’s Gleison Bremer this summer, who is wanted by a number of European clubs after an impressive campaign during 2021/22 with the Serie A side, and the Brazilian could well be the “surprise signing” that Romano mentions.
However, it has already been reported earlier this year that Bremer had agreed personal terms with Inter Milan and would join them this summer, although a move is yet to materialise. Nonetheless, it is one that holds a lot of potential for Spurs to get over the line.
But following Romano’s claim, a new defender signing is certainly one to keep an eye on and it would be a major boost for Spurs if they could get a player of the right quality through the door under the radar, as they look to close the gap on their rivals above them.
