Tottenham Hotspur are on the verge of completing the £51.8 million signing of Dutch attacking midfielder Xavi Simonsfrom RB Leipzig, with personal terms agreed and a medical already completed.
Barring any late complications, the deal will come as a major boost for manager Thomas Frank, who has been eager to strengthen his midfield options following injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. Spurs also missed out on signing Eberechi Eze, who joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace, and Morgan Gibbs-White, who committed his future to Nottingham Forest by signing a new contract.
Chelsea had shown interest in Simons but never made a formal bid for the 22-year-old Netherlands international, leaving Spurs free to push ahead with the transfer. Sources suggest Chelsea, despite having agreed a £36 million deal to sell Christopher Nkunku to Milan, are focused on a £40 million move for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho and are also pursuing Barcelona midfielder Fermín López. Talks between Chelsea and Barcelona over López are ongoing, but the La Liga club are only expected to consider a sale if the player requests to leave, with a potential price tag exceeding £50 million.
Tottenham capitalised on Chelsea’s hesitation by formally entering the race on Wednesday and swiftly reaching an agreement with Leipzig, who are keen to finalise the deal so they can launch a move for Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott. The pursuit of Elliott is being influenced by Jürgen Klopp, now Red Bull’s head of global football and Elliott’s former manager at Liverpool.
Chelsea explored the possibility of including a player in exchange for Simons, but Leipzig rejected the proposal. Simons subsequently flew to London on Wednesday to discuss personal terms, and his contract with Spurs is expected to run until 2032.
Simons, who can operate both centrally and on the flanks, has been open about his desire to leave Leipzig this summer. The Dutchman rose through Barcelona’s La Masia academy before spells at PSV Eindhoven and Paris Saint-Germain, joining Leipzig from PSG last January.
In a separate development, Chelsea are in advanced talks to sign Brighton winger Facundo Buonanotte on loan, despite expectations that he would join Leeds United. The proposed deal is likely to include an option to buy.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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