Tottenham are planning to sign a new centre-back this summer, with Daniel Levy and Johan Lange casting their eyes on an exciting young target who Spurs tip to become a star.
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ByEmilio GalantiniJul 24, 2025
The Lilywhites are reliably believed to be looking at bolstering the centre of their defence, as reported by The Telegraph, who also state that Thomas Frank’s side could weigh up another move for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi.
Son Heung-min
7.00
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6.98
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6.95
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6.84
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6.83
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Spurs saw a club-record £70 million bid rejected for Guehi in January, but despite this and competition from Premier League champions Liverpool, they haven’t thrown in the towel when it comes to potentially signing the England international.
Palace are also now open to selling Guehi for a minimum £45 million with his contract expiring in less than 12 months (GiveMeSport), so this is certainly one to watch, but the 25-year-old isn’t Tottenham’s only defensive target.
Contrary to other reports, some media sources state that Tottenham are frontrunners to sign Illia Zabarnyi from Bournemouth, despite PSG’s lengthy ongoing talks to sign the Ukranian.
Zabarnyi has already agreed personal terms with PSG, but Spurs apparently remain in the race for his signature after the 22-year-old’s exceptional campaign at the heart of Andoni Iraola’s defence.
Tottenham reportedly competed to sign Zabarnyi’s former centre-back partner Dean Huijsen as well, according to Fabrizio Romano, but it was always a tall order to barge aside Real Madrid, who’ve since added the Spaniard to Xabi Alonso’s ranks.
“Tottenham Hotspur were also constantly calling as well as Bayern Munich,” said Romano to GMS about the race for Huijsen earlier this year.
“But, the German giants understood they needed to sell a centre-back like Kim Min-jae in order to proceed with a new expensive signing, and it didn’t happen. For Spurs and Newcastle, it also became impossible to compete when Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal appeared with important proposals.”
Tottenham expected to make "official move" for Giovanni Leoni
Alongside Guehi, the north Londoners could turn to Parma defender Giovanni Leoni.
Levy and Lange have been linked with the 18-year-old already, but CaughtOffside now state that Tottenham are expected to make an “official move” for Leoni shortly.
Parma won’t entertain any offers below their asking price, though, which could be up to around £35 million, and Newcastle are fellow favourites to sign the Italian teenager who’s fresh off the back of a solid debut campaign for the Serie A side.
Leoni is highly-rated at N17, though, described as a “standout young defender” in the report, and those within Spurs view him as a ‘cornerstone of their future defensive setup’.
The former Sampdoria gem, who stands at a towering 6 foot 4, made 17 top-flight appearances for Parma across 24/25 – featuring at centre-back and playing as a right-back occasionally – and he’s tipped for a very bright career.