A Tottenham transfer nightmare could become reality as the search for a new midfielder goes on. Spurs are hoping to land a holding or hybrid midfielder this summer to replace and upgrade on Yves Bissouma, who leaves the club at the end of his contract at the end of this month.

Roberto De Zerbi is being given the chance to overhaul his squad this summer, with Tottenham desperate to avoid a third straight bottom-half finish. Spurs have already made a strong start to the summer, snapping up four signings, including the £52million signing of Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke.

A midfielder signing looks likely to be next, and Tottenham have a couple of main targets, but there is concerning news about one of them.

Sandro Tonali prefers Arsenal move

via Reuters

In a potentially huge blow to Tottenham’s bid to land Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tronali, it is being reported the Italian would prefer to join Arsenal this summer.

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has posted on X: “I’m pretty relaxed about the Bruno situation at Newcastle following today’s links to Arsenal. He wants a new contract at #nufc and has done for a while. I’m viewing it through that lens at the moment. I also don’t think Tonali really wants to go to Spurs. I’m told he would prefer Manchester City or Arsenal. As ever let’s wait and see. Any chance Newcastle could sign some new players instead of being linked with current ones leaving!!”

Tottenham have already seen a £75million bid rejected by Newcastle for Tonali, and they are yet to make another offer at this stage. It will be interesting to see if this report is accurate, and indeed whether it leads Spurs elsewhere.

Having said that, the issue for Tonali is that Arsenal and City are less likely to make a move for him this summer, given both teams seem to have other priorities.

Spurs could pivot to Fernandes

via Reuters

Tottenham have also been linked with a move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes of late, with Manchester United also keen on the Portugal international. With Newcastle said to want £80million to £90million for Tonali this summer, Spurs may well lean towards Fernandes, especially with the news the former prefers a move to Arsenal.

Fernandes will likely be available for £80million following West Ham’s rejection, and that could be defining when it comes to choosing between the two. Fernandes is also likely to be willing to join any club with European hopes, while Tonali is likely to want a club competing in the Champions League, which Spurs cannot offer.

The wife of Brazil star Raphinha has broken her silence on strong claims that the 2026 World Cup star is ‘facing serious family and financial problems’.

Raphinha is currently recovering from a hamstring injury after appearing in the Selecao’s first two group games against Morocco and Haiti. The Barcelona winger was forced to sit out of the 3-0 win against Scotland.

During his absence, there was speculation that Raphinha would leave Brazil’s camp. Meanwhile, a former World Cup winner claimed the 29-year-old would head home to address personal and money problems he’d been facing.

Brazilian Icon Makes Raphinha Claim

Vampeta, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, claimed Raphinha was facing financial issues on the Red Cast podcast. The retired midfielder even went as far as saying the Barcelona star is eyeing a move to Saudi Arabia to ease his money troubles.

More specifically, he stated Raphinha is ‘praying he can join Al-Hilal’. Vampeta did acknowledge this information was ‘gossip’ he’d heard, but still said: “Raphinha is facing serious family and financial problems. He’s praying he can join Al-Hilal; he’s having a really tough time. He is counting on joining Al Hilal to turn things around.”

Raphinha’s cousin then came out, telling the ex-Brazil star that he will need to provide an explanation for telling ‘lies’. “You’ll have to explain these lies, my friend,” they said.

However, Leo Dias on X then claimed that Raphinha’s father had kept 80% of the player’s rights and career earnings throughout his career. It was then claimed the Brazil star and his wife realised they weren’t in the financial position they believed they were when trying to buy a new house recently.

Raphinha’s Wife Responds to Alleged Money Problems

Natalia Belloli, Raphinha’s wife, has now spoken out about the rumours, calling them ‘absurd’. Speaking in comments published by Daily do Garotinho (per GOAL), Belloli said:

She then explained why there was a period of silence, saying: “I see no reason to put that on social media because I’m fully aware of the social reality we live in. If I posted something saying, ‘Look, I’m not poor, I’m still rich,’ people would accuse me of lacking class.

“I thought the story would die down, but these rumours have now reached Spain, and everyone believes we’re going through financial hardship.”

Two weeks into a World Cup campaign, with the heat of knockout football on the horizon, England’s players have found an unlikely escape- a card game brought by Jude Bellingham that nobody in the camp had ever heard of.

Morgan Rogers revealed to BBC Sport that Skyjo has become a firm favourite after Bellingham introduced the numbers-based card game to camp. The Aston Villa forward was more than happy to talk about it- partly because he won: “A few of us yesterday when we rode our bikes to a coffee shop, played cards. Jude bought it, it’s a bit of a different one. I’ve never seen it before, but we’re addicted at the moment.”

Rogers beat Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Dan Burn, Anthony Gordon and Elliot Anderson. The camaraderie runs deep. Rogers described Henderson as a father figure to the group: “He’s looking after us while Jude and I are squabbling with each other, we call him unc (uncle) at the moment, which he’s not happy about at all.”

What Exactly is SkyJo?

Originally released in 2015 and designed by Alexander Bernhardt, Skyjo is a simple, straightforward card game aimed at the whole family. Don’t let that fool you however, it is a strategy-based game centered around finishing with the lowest score possible.

The game is played with a deck of 150 cards featuring numbers from -2 to 12, and can accommodate between two and eight players. Each player is dealt with 12 cards and places them face down in a grid- four cards across and three rows deep. To begin, every player randomly picks two cards to flip over, and the player with the highest card total starts first.

On each turn, a player may draw the top card from the draw pile or take the top card from the discard pile. If they take from the discard pile, they must exchange it for a card in their grid. The aim throughout is to shed high-value cards and accumulate low ones. There is also a bonus rule: if a player reveals three cards of the same number in a vertical column, that entire column is discarded.

Rounds continue unitl one player reveals all their cards; once any player’s cumulative total reaches 100 points or more, the game ends and whoever had the lowest score is declared the winner. A typical session lasts around 30 to 60 minutes- short enough for a coffee shop table, long enough to make players squabble.

How Do the Players Switch off at the World Cup?

Keeping a squad of elite footballers mentally fresh over a tournament that could run for over a month is one of a manager’s most underrated challenges. England’s squad are two weeks into their stay at camp, and could remain there for another three weeks should they reach the final.

England’s staff have put personal touches in the players’ rooms, including pictures of family members, as well as ensuring Sky Sports channels are available in every bedroom. There is also a basketball hoop in the grounds, outdoor seating areas and a fully equipped gym tent for those who want to work out between sessions. Some of the England players such as Harry Kane and Dan Burn were spotted attending a concert of US country music star Ella Langley.

It is the quieter moments that build a team. England have also been playing Wolf, a game similar to BBC One’s The Traitors, and a new addition called ‘Imposter’, where players are each sent a secret word via an app, except one, and the group must figure out who is in the dark.

But right now, it is Skyjo that has the players hooked. Bellingham bought it, Rogers won it, and Henderson is somewhere plotting his revenge.