Tottenham Hotspur are set to make an ambitious move to sign James Trafford in a potential big-money double deal, according to TEAMtalk.

Tottenham chiefs know that big changes need to be made this summer if they are to bring the club back up the Premier League table next season.

The first stage of that process was to appoint Roberto De Zerbi on a long-term contract, and now they need to provide the Italian with a squad capable of finishing higher up the league in England’s top tier.

Yves Bissouma was confirmed as leaving the club on Wednesday following the expiry of his contract, but Ben Davies has signed a new deal to remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

They have also completed two incoming agreements in Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers, with the former already officially announced by the club.

More new additions are set to follow though, with the club also in talks over a deal to sign Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Dutchman would be the second centre-back signing should a deal be agreed with the Seagulls, with the player already deciding he only wants to sign for Spurs, suggesting a big exit could be coming in that position.

Tottenham Primed to Make James Trafford Move

via Reuters

As well as Van Hecke, Tottenham are also in talks over a deal to bring Manchester City attacker Savinho to north London.

Spurs attempted to sign the Brazilian winger this time last year, although they were unable to get a transfer over the line.

Tottenham chiefs are hoping for better luck this time around, and the £60m-rated 22-year-old could end up being part of a double transfer agreement if the north Londoners have their way.

According to TEAMtalk, Spurs are primed to make a move for City goalkeeper James Trafford, as their busy summer of recruitment continues.

The report says that the club see the ‘world-class’ stopper as a reliable, long-term option for the goalkeeper position, despite a tough season for the England international at the Etihad due to limited minutes.

Should Vicario leave Tottenham, then De Zerbi has identified £40m-rated Trafford as an ideal fit for his possession-based style of football.

Tottenham Face James Trafford Transfer Competition

via Reuters

Tottenham might not have it all their own way in any bid to land Trafford though, who is attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs having found himself being the number two option at City behind Gianluigi Donnarumma this term.

The 23-year-old is emerging as a strong candidate to replace Emiliano Martinez at Aston Villa, with the Argentina international currently being linked with a move to Juventus.

Newcastle United also have a long-term interest in the England international, having tried to sign him before his move to the Etihad.

The report suggests that Trafford would be keen on a switch to St James’ Park even without European football next season, if he was guaranteed more first-team minutes.

Leeds United are also keen on the former Burnley man as they look to secure a new number one before the 2026-27 campaign gets underway.

England‘s friendly match with Costa Rica has been delayed after a weather warning was issued for the area surrounding Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay.

The match, which serves as the Three Lions’ final action until they begin their 2026 World Cup campaign, had been due to kick-off at 9pm UK time on Wednesday evening.

However, a weather warning was issued on the big screen at the stadium, telling supporters to “take shelter” amid heavy storms and flooding to the pitch.

England Confirm Delay to Costa Rica Friendly

The official England Twitter account confirmed the news of the delayed kick-off on social media. A brief statement read:

Although no official timeframe was given for when the game is likely to get underway, a report from The Mirror stated that the fixture is still expected to take place this evening.

Extreme weather conditions are known to frequently disrupt US sporting fixtures during the summer months. A total of six matches were halted during last summer’s Club World Cup due to storms.

One game that was hit particularly badly was Chelsea’s round of 16 tie with Benfica, which took more than four-and-a-half hours to complete after it was disrupted due to weather.

With just a week to go until England’s opening Group L game against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, England boss Thomas Tuchel will be hopeful that the weather clears enough for the match to be staged as he looks to finalise preparations for his first tournament in charge.

England were last in action on Saturday, where the side laboured to a 1-0 victory over New Zealand in which few players made a positive impression.

An update from ITV Football indicates that the match will go ahead, with a kick-off time of 22:00pm (UK) now expected. Conditions may be less than ideal, but Tuchel will be grateful for the opportunity to see his side in action.

With just hours remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup, US president Donald Trump has been forced to defend the country’s stance on immigration, which has led to mass anger and confusion among many.

Although Mexico and Canada are also hosting matches, the vast majority of the tournament will take place in the USA. Players, staff and officials have begun to arrive in the US over the last week, leading to to a number of viral incidents.

Most notably, Somali referee Omar Artan, who had been set to take charge of a number of World Cup matches, was denied entry to the country on Monday. Despite having previously been granted a visa, Artan was told he would not be allowed to enter the country due to “vetting concerns”.

It later transpired that the decision was made as Artan shares the same name as a leader of the Al Shabab military group. However, the referee is far from the only figure to encounter resistance when attempting to enter the country.

2026 World Cup Visa Controversies Explored

Daniel Dunn via Reuters

Earlier this week, footage emerged showing players and staff from the Senegal camp being checked on the tarmac by airport security as they prepared to board a plane from Raleigh, North Carolina to San ​Antonio, Texas. Fans were enraged at the situation, accusing officials of treating the group “like criminals”.

Supporters themselves have also complained about nonsensical visa rules, with some feeling that they have been “excluded” from the tournament.

Iranian fans, in particular, are fuming. The country recently confirmed that they had had their entire allocation of tickets revoked ahead of the tournament.

Such has been the strength of public feeling about the immigration and visa issues that President Trump was forced to address the issue during a press briefing in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Asked to respond to concerns that “people are afraid that it’s going to be harder and harder to get visas to come from outside [for the World Cup]”, Trump declared:

“We’re working on it very closely to make sure the right people come into our country.”

Trump had previously claimed: “It’s the most successful World Cup they [Fifa] have ever had,” before touting the number of tickets sold for the tournament.

Fifa President Defends Visa Controversies

In defending the actions of the US, Trump also mentioned how complimentary Fifa president Gianni Infantino had been about the host nation.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Infantino addressed the visa issues:

“It’s not easy when you have 300,000 accredited people, majority of which from outside of the US, to process them to vet them, you don’t know. Unfortunately, our world is a very aggressive world and security goes above everything and you need to respect the decisions which are taken and when I say to chill, I don’t mean to chill and do nothing.

“I mean to trust us, that we are working behind the scenes, we are trying to understand and there are things we can know, things we cannot know, things we are told, not told.

“We always try to make the situation as positive as possible and to find solutions. Sometimes we manage, other times not.

“I think it has already been successful to bring Iran to play in America. I don’t know who would have managed to do that, and of course, everyone here believes it’s the right thing to do but again, we don’t live on the moon; we live on planet earth, and you have to deal with different situations. We try to do our best and I hope we’ll have some good news.”