Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a late play to secure the signature of Bournemouth’s highly-coveted defender, Illia Zabarnyi, potentially thwarting Paris Saint-Germain’s longstanding interest. While the Ukrainian international seemingly favours a move to the French capital, Spurs are not deterred.
Renowned journalist Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sports Italy has indicated that the North London club are willing to meet Bournemouth’s asking price of €70 million for the prodigious centre-half. This comes amid reports of PSG having previous bids of €60 million rebuffed by the Cherries.
Zabarnyi, who joined Bournemouth from Dynamo Kyiv for €23 million in January 2023, has established himself as a mainstay in the Cherries’ defence, missing just two Premier League fixtures last season. Despite interest from Tottenham, the defender is reportedly inclined towards a switch to Ligue 1’s PSG.
Tottenham’s pursuit of Zabarnyi continues their busy summer spree, which has already seen permanent deals for Kota Takai, Luka Vuskovic, Kevin Danso, and Mohammed Kudus, alongside Mathys Tel’s conversion from a loan to a permanent stay from Bayern Munich.
Should Spurs manage to secure Zabarnyi’s signature, it would be a smoother process compared to their tumultuous pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White. The Nottingham Forest midfielder’s proposed transfer faced a major snag, with Forest reportedly threatening legal action over alleged ‘tapping up’ by Spurs.
The £60m bid, matching Gibbs-White’s release clause, faced a dramatic halt as Forest lodged complaints with the Premier League over Tottenham’s alleged misconduct. However, sources have suggested that the deal will likely conclude before the transfer window closes, despite the ongoing legal wranglings.
Reports suggest that Gibbs-White remains eager to resolve his transfer, amidst “explosive” communications between Forest, Tottenham, and the Premier League revolving around the controversy. Should Forest relent, they may shift their gaze to Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey as a potential midfield bolster.
In an evolving transfer saga, the footballing world awaits whether Spurs can indeed outmanoeuvre PSG and lure Zabarnyi to the Premier League. Meanwhile, Forest’s retaliation to Spurs’ Gibbs-White manoeuvre and the subsequent fallout remains on a knife’s edge.
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