Tottenham Hotspur now have a ‘very good chance’ of signing Manchester City winger Savinho, with Fabrizio Romano issuing a new update on the club’s pursuit of the Brazilian, as well as naming another new target.

Tottenham continued an impressive run of form in pre-season by beating Chelsea 2-1 in the Sydney Super Cup on Saturday, as their half-a-dozen new summer signings continue to get to grips with life in a white shirt.

Roberto De Zerbi previously claimed that Spurs’ summer business was 60% done, which suggested that there could still be four new additions arriving before the deadline next month.

However, the Italian has since claimed that he hopes for two or three more arrivals by September 1, all of which look to be attacking players given the north London outfit are being linked with moves for two wingers and a striker as things stand.

While the two wingers look nailed on given the strong interest in signing both Savinho and Cody Gakpo from Liverpool, the likelihood is that the striker signing will depend on either Dominic Solanke or Richarlison leaving the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the latter considered the most likely to leave.

Spurs will be hoping to complete a deal for long-term target Savinho sooner rather than later.

Romano: Savinho Has ‘Very Good Chance’ of Joining Tottenham

via Reuters

Tottenham have been trying to land Savinho for most of this summer, after also trying the land the Brazil international 12 months ago too.

Spurs failed to convince Man City to let the 22-year-old, described as ‘extraordinary’ by Pep Guardiola, go in 2025, but they are more hopeful of finding an agreement this time around after the forward’s minutes were more restricted last term.

Romano has issued a new update on the north London outfit’s pursuit of Savinho, saying there is a ‘very good chance’ of the deal happening, and that he isn’t expecting any surprises in regard to it potentially falling through.

The Italian journalist also revealed potential interest in Chelsea winger Pedro Neto, should they fail to sign Savinho.

He said on his YouTube channel on Tuesday evening:

“The priority, the number one, two, and three target remains Savinho, and I think at the end of the summer transfer window, Savinho has very, very good chances to join Tottenham.

“So I don’t expect any surprises here. Eventually, if the deal is not happening for Savinho, Pedro Neto could become an option for Tottenham Hospur. So that could be an interesting situation to follow.”

Gold Issues Update on Nicolas Jackson to Tottenham

via Reuters

It was only on Tuesday morning that the Daily Mail claimed that Tottenham were considering a summer move for another Chelsea player in Nicolas Jackson.

The Senegalese striker is being heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, with Aston Villa understood to be very keen to reunite him with Unai Emery, although they may have to pay his £65m asking price to do given they are unable to loan both he and Alejandro Garnacho in the same window.

Reliable Football London correspondent Alasdair Gold quickly quashed the talk of Jackson moving across London, claiming that Spurs are unlikely to explore a move for the 25-year-old.

Arsenal‘s chances of signing Vinicius Jr could be boosted by a key factor within the Real Madrid squad, according to one expert.

The Gunners are hoping to convince Vinicius to join the club this summer on a deal that would almost certainly be the most expensive in Premier League history.

That record has already been broken once this summer, by Chelsea’s signing of Morgan Rogers, but Vinicius is going to cost more than that if he does leave, and he will almost certainly become the Premier League’s highest-paid player if he does leave Real Madrid, which is no certainty.

Los Blancos are trying to tie the Brazilian down to a new deal just under a year before his current deal expires, but they are said to be around €8million apart in their salary negotiations at this stage. Arsenal are hoping to swoop for Vinicius if he does decide to leave, and there could be a lesser-known factor at play.

Vinicius and Mbappe’s relationship could be key

REUTERS/Ana Beltran

According to South American football expert Tim Vickery, Vinicius joining Arsenal is ‘certainly a possibility’ this summer, and discussing some of the reasons the winger might leave Real Madrid, he highlighted the rocky relationship he has with fellow forward Kylian Mbappe.

When asked if their relationship is strained, Vickery said: “Without a doubt, yes – very much so. It’s not only a battle of egos, it’s not only a battle to be number one, it’s also the fact that tactically they like the same space,” Vickery, who is based in Brazil, told Sky Sports.

“You would think of Vini Jr as a winger and Mbappe as a striker, but both of them have little bits of the other.

“It’s very hard to fit the two of them in the same side, Ancelotti couldn’t do it and Ancelotti is a master at adapting and getting the best out of what he’s got. The Mbappe thing is undoubtedly a problem for Vini Jr.”

Vinicius Jr fee would be among the biggest of all time

Phil Noble via Action Images via Reuters

Reports in Spain suggest Arsenal would have to pay as much as £145.6million to sign Vinicius, if the Brazilian does decide to leave. That would smash the current British record, which was that £117million deal that took Rogers to Chelsea this summer. The Rogers deal was the second time the record had been broken this summer, with Elliot Anderson joining Manchester City for £116million a couple of weeks before.

Arsenal would likely try to reduce that fee with the knowledge that Vinicius has less than a year remaining on his deal, and they would certainly be helped if the winger committed to not signing a deal, leaving Real Madrid to choose between a giant profit now and a free exit next summer.

Paul Scholes has named a Manchester United “flop” as the most talented footballer he played alongside during his illustrious career.

Scholes, one of the most gifted midfielders English football has ever produced, played with a host of world-class stars over the course of his glittering 20-year senior career.

Legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson famously named Scholes as one of the four truly world-class players he managed. Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo were the other three.

Fergie overlooked a host of wonderful players that he once had at his disposal, including Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney, Peter Schmeichel, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

But there’s one player that Scholes puts above all of them in terms of pure natural ability.

Even Ferguson conceded that Juan Sebastian Veron was a Premier League flop, but the flashes of brilliance he showed at Old Trafford – particularly in the Champions League – left a lasting impression on those who played alongside him.

Speaking on his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Football, Scholes said when asked to name the most talented player he played with: “Veron. When you talk about naturally talented, his ability was unbelievable.”

Nicky Butt, another ex-United player, said: “I remember when we signed Veron, I was always probably third choice at Man Utd. Scholes and Keane were the main two and I’d play at certain times.

“I remember being on holiday, and I pick up the paper, [the headline is] ‘Veron’… I thought f*** me, I’m never going to play for Man United again.”

Scholes added: “I thought that as well.”

Action Images / Darren Walsh Digital

Butt continued: “On his first game, I’ll never forget it, against Everton. I was suspended from the season before, so I was in the stands.

“Veron played and he was f****** unbelievable. He came off with 10 minutes left and got a round of applause. I was sinking in my chair going ‘this is me done’. But he was so good.”

Scholes said: “I think he probably was the most naturally talented player I played with.” Watch the clip below:

Veron: Great in Champions League, Struggled in Premier League

Veron became the most expensive player in British football history after completing his £28.1 million move from Italian side Lazio in the summer of 2001.

As Butt says, Veron enjoyed a dream start to life with the English giants, securing the Premier League Player of the Month award for August 2001.

While he produced some spectacular moments, including several stunning free-kicks, he often struggled to deal with the intensity of England’s top division.

Despite David Beckham’s departure to Real Madrid, a £15 million offer from Chelsea in the summer of 2003 proved too tempting for Ferguson and United to resist.

“Juan Veron was capable of exceptional football and was talented. But, at times, he found the Premiership a bit difficult,” Ferguson said, per Sky Sports, at the time of the sale. “He was a European player and that was where we got our best form from him.”