Spurs step in front of Chelsea and ask for Simons

The clubs at the very top kept changing, but even when Tottenham was part of that company, it was always different—more frugal, even stingy, one might say. But since winning the Europa League earned them a place in the Champions League, they’ll have to open their wallet a bit and maybe even break the club’s transfer record. According to well-informed Bild, Xavi Simons has left Leipzig and flown to London. Not for negotiations with Chelsea, who have long been in contact with his agent Ali Barat, but with Tottenham. It’s not done yet, but apparently it’s very close, even though Leipzig is asking for an impressive sum of exactly 70,000,000 euros (including bonuses) for the 22-year-old, who last season scored 11 goals and provided eight assists, despite missing two months due to injury.

If the deal goes through, Simons would become Tottenham’s most expensive signing ever, surpassing the 64,300,000 they paid last season for Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke. This summer they also brought in Mohammed Kudus from West Ham for 63,800,000 euros. Will Simons join as well? That remains to be seen, as the Dutchman reportedly has high salary demands. And Tottenham doesn’t have much choice, since in early August they lost James Maddison to a torn knee ligament. Even before that, Spurs were looking for reinforcements in attack, but Eberechi Eze went to Arsenal, while Morgan Gibbs-White extended his contract with Nottingham Forest.

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It initially seemed that Simons was headed to Stamford Bridge, and when Tottenham first inquired, the response was: Chelsea or nowhere. But the Blues meanwhile turned their attention to the somewhat cheaper Fermín Lopez, making Barcelona a concrete 50,000,000 offer, which opened the door for Tottenham to enter talks with Simons. He’s in no rush though—his contract with Leipzig runs until 2027.