Tottenham Hotspur may have moved one step closer to landing another dream Roberto De Zerbi transfer target after offering him £7.3m per year to join the club.
Tottenham chiefs and De Zerbi are clearly doing everything to not only ensure they don’t find themselves in a Premier League relegation scrap again next season, but that they are actually competing in and around the top six again.
That is the level of ambition they are showing in the summer transfer window so far, with Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka already signing on at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs are far from done there even though their backline is coming together, with a focus on strengthening their midfield and attack next ahead of next season.
Tottenham are being linked with many forwards including Marcus Rashford and Savinho, who Fabrizio Romano reports they are in talks with Manchester City to sign.
However, midfield seems to be the priority right now, with De Zerbi showing huge ambition with the players he wants to join to bolster the engine room.
Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali has been their number one target for the position, but the Italian manager wants West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes alongside him too next term.
Tottenham Offer Mateus Fernandes £7.3m-Per-Year Contract
via Reuters
While Tottenham remain intent on a big-money deal to prise Tonali away from St James’ Park, they are also involved in an intense battle with Manchester United for Fernandes.
According to Claret & Hugh, both clubs are said to have reached an agreement on personal terms with the player, who is open to joining whichever club can agree a fee with the Hammers.
The report claims that Spurs have offered a deal worth approximately £140,000-a-week (£7.3m per year) to the Portugal international to convince him to move across the capital, with the 21-year-old’s salary dropping to £30,000-a-week from £60,000-a-week following the club’s relegation to the Championship.
A deal isn’t close yet though, with either club yet to make a formal offer for the ‘superstar’ midfielder, who West Ham are determined to get £80-85m for.
Perhaps things will move once the SCR deadline passes on Tuesday.
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Tottenham Offer West Ham Fernandes Swap Deal
via Reuters
According to ExWHUEmployee, Tottenham are offering players in exchange to try and help get a deal over the line for Fernandes.
Spurs and United both seem reluctant to reach West Ham’s £85m valuation as things stand, so offering players as part of any offer will help to reduce the fee.
Of course, the Irons also need to be tempted by what is being offered to them, with Mikey Moore one of the names mentioned.
Tottenham surely won’t want to lose the talented 18-year-old permanently following an impressive year on loan with Rangers, but also De Zerbi has shown that he prefers experience to youth, with Lucas Bergvall already deciding he needs to go following the club’s interest in Tonali and Fernandes.
A loan exit for Moore could be a possibility then, and he could be seen as a player who could really boost West Ham’s chances of securing an immediate return to the Premier League.
British No.1 Emma Raducanu has been spotted enjoying some time off with a new love interest in Battersea Park, and it has come to light that her new ‘boyfriend’ has undergone some significant personal heartbreak over the years.
The 23-year-old tennis star was photographed with 32-year-old public relations executive John Friend on a park bench and the pair appeared to be comfortable in each other’s company, even sharing an embrace.
They are rumoured to be dating, and it is hoped that the relationship will add some stability for the 2021 US Open champion after some turbulent years with injuries and coaching changes.
Who is Emma Raducanu’s New Boyfriend
Friend is the director of his own public relations company, JSGF, and previously served in the British Army as a paratrooper in the elite 4 Para reserve regiment.
Earlier in life, he attended the prestigious private Harrow School in London. He’s also said to have connections to British tennis as his father reportedly served as a committee member on the Queen’s Club real tennis committee. Raducanu finished as the runner-up at this year’s Queen’s.
Raducanu’s Boyfriend’s Personal Tragedy
Andrew Couldridge via Reuters
In 2022, Friend’s brother Will died at the age of 33 after being struck by lightning in the United States.
Will had been living in the US at the time, and it occurred while he was boating near Masonboro Island in North Carolina. Paramedics attended the scene, but they were unfortunately unable to revive him.
The incident attracted media coverage at the time as Will was married to actress Bevin Prince, who is best known for playing Bevin Mirskey on the series One Tree Hill. The couple had been married since 2016.
In 2018, Friend also lost his mother to breast cancer, and in 2024, his other brother also passed away aged 33. After the death of his mother, the family formed a charity in her memory to raise money for Action Against Cancer.
Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon Heartbreak
Andrew Couldridge via Reuters
Raducanu just yesterday withdrew from Wimbledon after scans revealed she had a stress fracture in her lower leg.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but sadly I’ve had to withdraw from this year’s Wimbledon,” she confirmed on her Instagram page.
If you’re going to Wimbledon this year, be prepared to spend a lot of money on refreshments and food.
“I’ve done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow, but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I’ve been managing has developed into a stress fracture.
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“Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process.”
Ayyoub Bouaddi is set to be sold this summer with Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool among the teams interested, but Lille are hoping for a one-year loan-back or pre-agreement to try and keep the player with them for an extra year.
GMS understands Lille want a minimum of €80m for the Moroccan midfielder, but that price could rise to €100m+ for clubs seeking an immediate sale. Bouaddi has also been tracked by PSG, but the French champions are currently prioritising adding an attacker, with Yan Diomande their top priority.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are all interested in the 18-year-old, who has impressed so far at the World Cup, including in Morocco’s opening draw with Brazil.
GMS understands Manchester City are one of Bouaddi’s most active suitors, but Lille anticipate several approaches after the World Cup. City want to add another midfielder, even after the £116m arrival of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal are also intent on signing a new midfielder. Along with Bouaddi, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Alex Scott are all on their radar.
Manchester United will sign at least one more midfielder following the arrival of Ederson from Atalanta. The club are in talks with West Ham over Mateus Fernandes, and face competition from Spurs. Scott and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba are two other options.
And Liverpool could reinforce in central midfield, especially if Curtis Jones or Alexis Mac Allister are sold. The former has drawn interest from Inter and Nottingham Forest, but clubs must meet a £40m asking price.
Chelsea are another Premier League club assessing the midfield market and have seen a £8m bid rejected for Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka. And Spurs want to sign two midfielders, with West Ham’s Fernandes and Tonali two active deals they are working on.
Bouaddi has already made 96 appearances for Lille across three seasons having come through the club’s Academy. In January 2026, he became the youngest player to make 50 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille, breaking a record previously held by Eden Hazard.
Lille are aware he will be difficult to keep hold of, but are hoping to strike a deal seeing the teenager stay for one more year.