With Tottenham’s attention now turning towards attacking reinforcements, an unexpected report has suggested the club looked into a deal for one of Manchester City’s biggest names before he committed his future to the Premier League giants.
With defensive and midfield additions already through the door, Tottenham’s focus has now shifted towards strengthening De Zerbi’s attack ahead of the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Savinho remains the priority target, with Tottenham now waiting for Man City to complete the signing of his replacement before advancing a move, having already agreed personal terms with the Brazilian winger.
The deal is expected to cost somewhere between £60m and £65m, while Spurs continue to be linked with several other high-profile attacking players, including Marcus Rashford, Cody Gakpo and Antonio Nusa.
However, the latest reports suggest Tottenham did more than just monitor Savinho, with the club also exploring a move for a vastly bigger name at the Etihad Stadium
Phil Foden attracted Tottenham interest before signing new Manchester City deal
Only a few days ago, we relayed reports suggesting Tottenham were prepared to offer around £51m for Rafael Leao, with AC Milan potentially looking towards Manchester City’s Phil Foden as a replacement if the Portuguese international departed.
However, Fabrizio Romano poured cold water on suggestions linking Spurs with Leao, while Foden himself very recently signed a new long-term contract with his childhood club, effectively ending any speculation over his future.
Before putting pen to paper, though, the Champions League winner had entered the final year of his previous deal, prompting several of Europe’s biggest clubs to assess whether a move could become possible following City’s managerial change, and also the fact that he had missed out on England’s World Cup squad after a poor last season by his standards.
And according to TEAMtalk, Tottenham were among the clubs, alongside Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, to have ‘explored’ the possibility of signing the England international before he committed his future to Manchester City.
Andreas Schjelderup remains firmly on Tottenham’s shortlist
Tottenham are still expected to sign two wide forwards this summer, with Savinho looking the most likely arrival if negotiations progress as planned.
The second addition could yet be Andreas Schjelderup, who enhanced his growing reputation with an impressive World Cup campaign for Norway.
Fans may remember the 22-year-old registering two assists against Brazil before scoring Norway’s only goal in their quarter-final defeat to England.
Recent reports have claimed Schjelderup is among the players highest on De Zerbi’s wishlist, with Tottenham having already ‘made contact’ with Benfica over a potential move.
Although the winger has a €100m (£85m) release clause, Benfica are believed to be prepared to listen to offers in the region of €40m (£34m).
The Portuguese club would ideally like to keep Schjelderup and agree on a new contract, but the Norwegian is reportedly delaying those talks as he seriously considers leaving this summer.