Xavi Simons: Tottenham Hotspur register interest in RB Leipzig midfielder and Chelsea target
Spurs are looking to sign a new No 10 before Monday's transfer deadline; Thomas Frank's side have failed in pursuits of Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze; Chelsea target Xavi Simons is of interest, while there is also interest in Man City winger Savinho
Thursday 28 August 2025 08:56, UK
Tottenham Hotspur's priority in the final days of the transfer window is signing a No 10 after missing out on key targets Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze.
Spurs have registered an interest in RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons, Sky Sports News understands - however it is nothing more than that at this stage with Chelsea considered frontrunners for his signature.
Lucas Paqueta is admired but there is currently no indication West Ham would consider a sale.
Similarly, Morgan Rogers is another player of interest but Aston Villa consider him not for sale and there has been no movement, as things stand.
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Gibbs-White was seen as the ideal player for head coach Thomas Frank - but Spurs insist they could not have done much more in what they felt was a bizarre few weeks with Nottingham Forest.
Eze joining Arsenal at the last-minute was a huge blow for a number of reasons and the information that has emerged since he signed has only reinforced why a few figures at Spurs were never totally convinced he was going to play for the club.
Spurs maintain, as they did with Gibbs-White, that they did all they could to get a deal over the line. They felt they had an agreement in place with both Crystal Palace and the player.
Nico Paz is well-liked internally at Spurs but a deal for the Como attacking midfielder is considered a non-starter due to Real Madrid's financial interest in the player. They have a 50 per cent sell-on inserted in his contract and a buy-back clause worth £8.7m.
Will Spurs sign a winger before the deadline?
Left-wing is another position that Spurs are looking at before the window closes - and it is no secret that they want to sign Savinho.
As it stands, Man City do not want to sell and will only negotiate if they get a replacement and it is believed that target has been Rodrygo at Real Madrid.
What about defence and midfield?
Bringing in a defender is considered the third most important priority.
Frank giving the green light to for Luka Vuskovic to join Hamburg on loan could be an indication that there is confidence at Spurs that a centre-back will come in. Ideally it would be a left-footed one.
Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie had his admirers inside the club but is not a player they're considering amid interest from Arsenal. With Frank often switching to a back three, a late move for a senior defender remains possible.
One of the early plus points for Frank's reign has been the midfield. Joao Palhinha has been outstanding since arriving from Bayern Munich on loan and its clear Spurs were crying out for a tough tackling midfielder last season.
The midfield trio he formed with Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Sarr - arguably the most impressive player under Frank thus far - played a key role in Saturday's impressive win at Manchester City.
Spurs are now looking to further bolster their new coach's options, particularly in attacking and creative areas, as Frank looks to build on a promising start to life in north London and prepares for a demanding Champions League campaign.
