Tottenham Hotspur are making progress on sales within their first-team squad after a busy summer of arrivals so far.

Spurs have brought in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali so far this summer, and Roberto De Zerbi is now looking to ship out some deadwood from his side to free up space for more new arrivals and shape up his squad for the season.

While the plan is to keep all their best players, despite consecutive 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League, at least one star will be on the move this summer, and the club are in direct talks to make a deal happen.

Tottenham and Inter in Romero Talks

According to a report by Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, Inter Milan and Tottenham are in direct talks about a deal for Cristian Romero to return to Serie A.

The Argentine, who has been described as ‘unbelievable’, is ‘100% certain’ to leave the club this summer after growing disillusioned with life in England as a result of the club’s lack of competitiveness at the top level, and Spurs have already replaced him by bringing in Senesi and van Hecke.

There is an openness from all parties to get a deal done during the window, and it’s understood that the player’s agent and Inter’s sporting director are both in Milan to thrash out the terms of a transfer.

Inter have shown a willingness to pay up to £40m for the World Cup winner, and there is total openness from the player’s side about making the move to the San Siro.

Spurs are understood to be open to letting him leave for the right price, but it remains unclear if they would be willing to go that low to get him out of the door. Talks are ongoing, but there is a positive feeling between all parties that an agreement can be found soon.

Romero’s Time at Spurs is Over

Nobody in north London will dispute how good of a defender Romero is, but there have been several question marks about his discipline and mindset over the last 12 months, and an exit makes the most sense for everyone involved.

Spurs have already replaced him in the window, and De Zerbi has made it clear that he only wants players who are fully committed to the cause. Inter have offered everyone a route to get the deal done, so it looks likely that it will.

£40m seems low in this market, but when you consider all the circumstances around the deal, it may be smarter for Spurs to just cut their losses and take it, rather than risk having to keep hold of someone who doesn’t want to be there, and they don’t want there either.

Arsenal have made contact over a stunning deal to sign Vinicius Jr from Real Madrid, according to David Ornstein.

The Gunners have made their left-wing position a key area that they are looking to strengthen this summer, having won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final last season.

Leandro Trossard has already departed and been replaced by Christos Tzolis, while Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are also available for transfer. But after missing out on top target Morgan Rogers earlier in the window, Arsenal are now making a shock effort for a mega deal.

Arsenal Make Move for Vini Jr

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Vini Jr, who has been described as ‘the best player in the world’, has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Real Madrid, and the Spanish giants do not want to lose him on a free transfer next summer.

Madrid have entered the race to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig in a deal worth around £100m, and that has opened the door for a potential exit for the Brazil superstar, who starred at the World Cup this summer.

According to The Athletic, Arsenal are now exploring a deal to sign Vini Jr as an option for their left wing, and the deal has been approved at all levels of the north London club.

The 26-year-old is yet to agree terms on a new contract and has been told by Real Madrid that he will not be allowed to enter the new season without having signed an extension.

There have been no club-to-club talks between Arsenal and Real Madrid over a deal at this stage, but the interest is genuine and the club are keeping a close eye on his contract situation with regards to making a move later in the window. It is stated, however, that there is no guarantee a move materialises at this stage.

Vini Jr Would Be a Gamechanger

REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo

There are some players in world football where when they become available for a transfer, everyone stands up. One of those, is Vini Jr.

The Brazilian has had a stunning eight years at the Bernabeu, but he has found himself behind Kylian Mbappe as the main man in recent years, which has led to some friction. With less than a year remaining on his contract, the chances of him moving on have never been greater.

If Arsenal were able to secure a deal to bring him in, not only would they boost their chances of winning the Premier League again and Champions League, but they would have one of the very best players in the world in their squad for the prime years of his career. That would be gamechanging.

The 2026 World Cup may have brought more eyes to football than any other competition in history, as some players have now found out just how popular and well-known they’ve become.

Even Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the most recognisable football stars for the past two decades, have grown in popularity. Meanwhile, young stars like Lamine Yamal and Jude Bellingham are only growing in stature and notoriety.

But who has risen the most in terms of popularity and fame over the entire course of the 2026 World Cup? Well, Sportico have compiled a list of the 10 players who saw their Instagram following grow the most over the summer.

10. Endrick (Brazil)

REUTERS/Mike Segar

Endrick wasn’t unleashed too often at the 2026 World Cup, but he’ll undoubtedly be an important player for Brazil in future tournaments. He netted against Haiti before missing a massive chance in the Round of 16 defeat vs Norway. Despite his disappointing time in America, the Real Madrid youngster still went from 18 million followers to just shy of 24 million.

9. Michael Olise (France)

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Sam Navarro

Michael Olise surpassed Pele (6) to become the player with the most assists in a single World Cup campaign (7) as France just fell short of achieving a third star on their badge. Nonetheless, the Bayern Munich star captured imaginations, which saw his following grow by 5.7 million over the summer.

8. Gilberto Mora (Mexico)

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The youngest player on this list, Mexico’s Gilberto Mora has already reached stardom in his home country. The 17-year-old was a crucial part of the midfield that reached the Round of 16, and his 7.7 million following will only continue to grow as he does.

7. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

Lionel Messi’s Argentina went the distance just as they did in 2022, reaching a second consecutive final. However, the South Americans fell just short of the trophy, losing to Spain. Messi played his part in dragging La Albiceleste towards a fourth title, scoring eight goals and setting up another four. He already had more than 500 million Instagram followers before the tournament, and has still managed to attract 7.5 million new fans.

6. Neymar (Brazil)

REUTERS/Paul Childs/Action Images

Neymar’s World Cup was meant to be a fairytale that saw the veteran forward show up on the biggest stage when Brazil needed him for one last time. Instead, his campaign was interrupted by injury, and he was powerless as the Selecao crashed out at the Round of 16. Despite bowing out in floods of tears, the 34-year-old now has over 242 million followers on Instagram after the World Cup.

5. Lamine Yamal (Spain)

REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

European and now world champion before turning 20, Lamine Yamal has essentially completed international football as a teenager. While he has a long way to go if he’s to match Lionel Messi’s legacy on the pitch, the Spanish youngster is clearly rising in popularity already; just ask his 11 million new fans.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Reuters/Maria Lysaker

Cristiano Ronaldo ended up receiving a lot of negativity throughout Portugal’s run to the Round of 16. While his days on the pitch are now numbered, the 41-year-old is still the most well-known footballer on the planet. A new 11 million followers is absolutely incredible when considering he already had well over 600 million heading into the tournament.

3. Jude Bellingham (England)

REUTERS/Paul Childs

To think there were some legitimate calls for Jude Bellingham to be left out of England’s squad completely. The Real Madrid superstar forced his way into Thomas Tuchel’s XI and proved his doubters wrong with seven goals as the Three Lions finished third. Bellingham’s popularity soared throughout the summer, with many believing he was going to be the man to bring football home. He now boasts 53.3 million followers.

2. Vozinha (Cape Verde)

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Cape Verde are one of the biggest success stories of the entire World Cup. Reaching the knockout stages after holding eventual champions Spain to a goalless draw before taking Argentina to extra-time, the story will never be forgotten. A key part of that was 40-year-old goalkeeper Josimar Dias, also known as Vozinha. Incredibly, he went from 30,000 followers to 29.4m over the course of the World Cup.

1. Erling Haaland (Norway)

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The United States of America fell in love with Norway and more specifically, Erling Haaland. His goalscoring ability was just one of the things that caught the eye of fans from all over the globe. Putting Norway firmly on the radar in international football, Haaland secured an incredible rise of 32 million additional followers, despite already being one of the Premier League’s biggest stars.