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Tottenham are willing to offload Oliver Skipp in this transfer window, but the club won’t green-light his exit until they find a suitable replacement.

Skipp has spent his entire professional career at Tottenham and has been on the books at the club since 2008.

He’s racked up 106 appearances for Spurs in that time and also enjoyed a successful loan spell out with Norwich City in 2020-21.

While Ange Postecoglou did use Skipp in 24 matches last season, the 23-year-old only made five starts in the Premier League.

He’s firmly behind the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr in the pecking order and could be set to depart this summer.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham are willing to let Skipp leave this summer but they want to sign a fellow homegrown star as his replacement.

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👉 Tottenham make approach for Italy star in ‘bargain deal’ as another transfer ‘may become a problem’

The holding midfielder is still under contract with the club until 2027 which puts them in a decent position to negotiate his price tag.

Leeds United have been credited with interest in the 23-year-old, although a move elsewhere in the Premier League seems more likely for Skipp at this stage.

Premier League newcomers Leicester City have also been linked with the Tottenham star with the Foxes keen to improve their midfield after losing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

In terms of Spurs, they have already made two new signings this summer with the arrivals of Archie Gray from Leeds United and Lucas Bergvall from Djurgardens.

Man Utd’s Scott McTominay is someone who is reportedly on their watchlist, although the Red Devils are looking for a fee of £40m to sell the Scottish international this summer.

Tottenham have also been credited with interest in the likes of Eberechi Eze Pedro Neto and Conor Gallagher as Postecoglou looks to strengthen his side ahead of next season.

Tottenham are hoping to hijack Fulham’s potential deal for Scott McTominay as Man Utd look to raise £40m for his services, according to reports.

Spurs have already made two new signings this summer with arrivals of Archie Gray from Leeds United and Lucas Bergvall from Swedish side Djurgardens.

But they are far from done this summer as they look to build on a promising first season under Ange Postecoglou, which saw them finish fifth in the Premier League playing entertaining, attacking football.

And now Tottenham are looking to strengthen midfielder with The Sun claiming that the north London outfit are ‘looking to hijack’ Fulham’s deal to sign Man Utd midfielder McTominay.

Man Utd ‘want at least £40million before they even consider selling’ the Scotland international and Spurs ‘are now tracking’ the 27-year-old.

The Red Devils are expecting ‘further offers’ and may need to sell in order to ‘support a planned summer spending spree’ with Man Utd now looking for £40m ‘after demanding just £30m from suitors last year.’

The Sun adds:

‘Sources close to the Red Devils say that Erik Ten Hag is keen to keep the Scot.

‘But he is not regarded as a first-team starter, which may lead to him moving on to make the next step in his career.’

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👉 Tottenham make approach for Italy star in ‘bargain deal’ as another transfer ‘may become a problem’

Caught Offside (via Added Minutes) claims that Tottenham are also interested in landing another two Premier League players in the form of Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze and Wolves winger Pedro Neto.

The report claims:

‘Spurs are still very much among those interested in signing both players.

‘A combined swoop will not be come cheap, however, with claims that Neto and Eze together would cost somewhere in the region of £101 million. Should Tottenham fail in their pursuit, the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are all ‘waiting in the wings and following developments’, though as yet, none have made any formal approach for either player.’

Another midfielder that Tottenham have been linked with in the past is Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot and now transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has brought an update on the France international’s future.

Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “Since June, Rabiot was expected to leave Juventus and it’s now been confirmed.

“Juventus offered €7m net per season for Rabiot but he didn’t want to accept, he wanted to try something different. So Rabiot communicated to Juventus that he was not going to stay, and Juve already decided to move on.

“He has several possibilities around Europe and his mother Veronique spoke to 5/6 clubs in recent weeks, in several countries, and they’re keeping all the options open.

“I don’t want to mention all the clubs because it’s a really long list and some of them are not even concrete at the moment… it’s just talks.

“For sure, the dream of Adrien Rabiot is Premier League football, so that remains a possibility – to wait for a Premier League opportunity. Otherwise he has many offers, many opportunities on the table.

“Adrien Rabiot is a free agent and so is obviously a big possibility, a big opportunity and this is why many clubs are enquiring about the situation.

“But what I can guarantee to you today is that Adrien Rabiot is tempted by the Premier League. His dream is the Premier League. He believes that his skills are perfect for Premier League football.

“He’s a wonderful midfielder but also physical and that could be a crucial factor, so let’s see if he gets the proposal he wants.”

Tottenham are ready to bid for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer as Ange Postecoglou sets out a ‘minimum’ amount of signings, according to former CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs.

Spurs have already made two new signings this summer with arrivals of Archie Gray from Leeds United and Lucas Bergvall from Swedish side Djurgardens.

But they are far from done this summer as they look to build on a promising first season under Postecoglou, which saw them finish fifth in the Premier League playing entertaining, attacking football.

One player Tottenham have had on their radar for a while is Chelsea and England midfielder Gallagher, who has just returned from playing at Euro 2024 with the Three Lions.

There were claims last summer that Spurs were bidding for Gallagher towards the end of the transfer window but transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insisted that no bid arrived on deadline day for the Chelsea midfielder.

Romano wrote on X in September last year: “Understand Tottenham did not sent any formal bid for Conor Gallagher on Deadline Day. Interest was there but no £40m proposal despite reports. Talks were not advancing as Spurs were never really close to selling Hojbjerg to Atlético. Chelsea, happy to count on Conor.”

But now Jacobs has told GiveMeSport that a bid for Gallagher this summer from Tottenham is ‘still expected’ but that Spurs ‘haven’t moved yet’ because of his participation at Euro 2024.

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365

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👉 Premier League five-year net spend table: Spurs closing on Man Utd and Arsenal

👉 Tottenham make approach for Italy star in ‘bargain deal’ as another transfer ‘may become a problem’

Chelsea ‘want in excess of £50m’ for the England international this summer with ‘Stamford Bridge sources point to the £55m the club received from Manchester United for Mason Mount 12 months ago as a fair valuation-yardstick’.

Jacobs adds:

‘Tottenham valued Gallagher at £35m at the same stage last year, and it’s understood they have no plans to go too far north of this. The £40m they paid to Leicester City for James Maddison last summer is a similar price they hope to land Gallagher for. The slightly increased fee is down to an appreciation that Gallagher has risen in value due to form.

‘Atletico Madrid are Spurs’ main rival as it stands and have already made a bid. The La Liga club saw a verbal offer of £20m plus bonuses rejected last month. Now that Saul Niguez has joined Sevilla, albeit only on an initial loan, Atletico are trying to add another midfielder and Gallagher is relatively high on their list of targets.’

Jacobs also revealed that Tottenham boss Postecoglou ‘is looking to bring in a minimum of three senior signings between now and the end of the window.’

Tottenham have made an approach to sign Juventus winger Federico Chiesa as they look to seal one of the bargain deals of the summer, according to reports.

Spurs have already secured two signings this summer with Archie Gray arriving from Leeds United and Lucas Bergvall joining from Djurgarden.

But now Ange Postecoglou, Daniel Levy and the Tottenham recruitment team are looking to add a new attacker to their side with Chiesa towards the top of their list over the summer.

Tottenham have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze and now there is speculation in Italy that they have made an approach for Juventus’ Chiesa.

Tutto Juve (via Sport Witness) claims that Chiesa’s future has become ‘increasingly distant’ from Juventus and that a move away from Turin is now likely.

It is understood that the Serie A side are looking for between €20-25m plus bonuses for the Italy international, which could represent a ‘bargain deal’ for the Old Lady.

Roma and Chelsea are understood to hold an interest in Chiesa too with the 26-year-old now considering a move to the Premier League in the summer.

Other reports in Italy have linked Tottenham with a move for Atletico Madrid centre-back Mario Hermoso as they focus on interest from Serie A side Napoli.

It is claimed that ‘dormant interest’ from Spurs ‘may become a problem’ for Napoli as the Serie A club’s new boss Antonio Conte looks to do a quick deal for the Spaniard.

Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Chelsea have also made ‘timid’ contact over a potential deal but that Napoli still lead the race, for now.

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Postecoglou will be keen to add to his squad this summer after admitting towards the end of last season that the foundations at Tottenham “are really fragile”.

His comments came in May with some Tottenham fans pleased to lose to Manchester City in the knowledge that it would damage Arsenal’s chance of winning the Premier League.

Arsenal would eventually lose out to Man City by two points on the final day of the Premier League season but Tottenham missed out on competing in the Champions League.

After losing 2-0 to Man City in a flat atmosphere, Postecoglou said: “The foundations are really fragile. The last 48 hours have shown me that.

“It’s inside the club, outside the club. Outside, inside, everywhere. It’s been an interesting exercise. It’s just my observations, mate.”

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is ready to sanction a £60m move to land Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze this summer, according to reports.

Spurs have already secured two signings this summer with Archie Gray arriving from Leeds United and Lucas Bergvall joining from Djurgarden.

But now Ange Postecoglou, Levy and the Tottenham recruitment team are looking to add a new attacker to their side with Eze towards the top of their list over the summer.

Eze had a few injury problems last season at Crystal Palace but still managed to make 27 Premier League appearances, contributing 11 goals and four assists.

That form has attracted interest from a number of clubs in the Premier League and now The Sun claim that Tottenham are ‘willing to trigger’ the England international’s £60m release clause.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed an update a couple of weeks ago on Eze and claimed that there was “nothing at advancing stages” for the 26-year-old.

Romano said: “For Eberechi Eze, I see many questions coming from you guys but at the moment what I’m hearing is that there is still nothing at advancing stages. Crystal Palace are still hoping for him to stay.

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“The release clause is also into his contract, so it will depend on the release clause. But at the moment it’s still not something happening today it’s still not something imminent.”

Eze has already been tipped to move to north London this summer with former Tottenham right-back Alan Hutton predicting that Spurs will pay the £60m required to bring the Crystal Palace winger to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Speaking to Tottenham News, Hutton said: “He just goes out and plays with a smile on his face, he plays with a lot of freedom and he’s got so much attacking quality.

“He can score goals, he can assist, these are the type of guys you need and he’s been rewarded for his good form by being picked for the England squad.

“I think he could go and be a shining star so £60million is right. You look at some of the prices that are getting banded around now for players that aren’t as good, so I can understand that. If he’s going to be available for that price, I think Levy will spend it.”

Tottenham are leading Arsenal for Espanyol star Joan Garcia as they make an approach for the La Liga goalkeeper, according to reports.

Spurs made a brilliant addition in Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli last summer with the goalkeeper joining in a deal worth €20m.

And now Ange Postecoglou wants to sign some competition for the Italy international this summer with Garcia moving to their top of his list.

It was recently reported that Garcia has become Mikel Arteta’s ‘top target’ to replace Aaron Ramsdale as their back-up option to David Raya, who recently joined permanently from Brentford after spending last season on loan at the Emirates Stadium.

Football Transfers reported:

‘The 23-year-old has a €25 million release clause in his deal and the Gunners hierarchy are considering him to come in and compete with David Raya should Ramsdale leave.

‘Sources close to the player have informed us that the England international remains indecisive about his future at the Emirates and he is still weighing up his options carefully.

‘In turn, Mikel Arteta needs an answer from Ramsdale within the next week on whether he intends to stay at the club or leave, so he can plan his recruitment for this window.’

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👉 Premier League five-year net spend table: Spurs closing on Man Utd and Arsenal

👉 Tottenham star ‘will pack his bags’ in Man Utd or PL move as another player gives exit ‘mandate’ to agents

Spanish giants Real Madrid are also interested in signing Garcia from Espanyol this summer but it is now thought to be Tottenham who have stolen a march on arch-rivals Arsenal for his signature.

A report in Spain claims:

‘Real Madrid have tough competition for the signing of Joan Garcia, as the competition comes from the Premier League. Arsenal and Tottenham are also said to be interested in signing him, although Spurs are the ones who are leading the way and have already made approaches to the Catalan club.’

‘The international goalkeeper’s release clause for the Spanish under-21 team is set at 25 million euros and Espanyol are holding on to that amount or a very similar one to let him go. Tottenham want the Espanyol goalkeeper to give competition to their first-choice goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, and they could definitely go for him, forcing Real Madrid to react quickly if they don’t want to say goodbye to this option for goal.’

Speaking after a win over Everton in December, Postecoglou praised Vicario’s impact in his first few months at Tottenham, he said: “He’s been brilliant from day one for us, and we haven’t always needed him like we did today.

“Other times, it’s probably one or two saves a game, if that, he’s been important in our build-up and in our organisation, but today we needed his goalkeeping. It wasn’t just the saves he makes. They’re so strong from corners and put so much pressure on the goalkeeper, and I thought he stood up really well.”

AI will run the world one day. But today is not that day and this list of the ‘ten most notable outgoing Premier League summer transfers’ suggests the software is having some technical issues.

FairBettingSites have enlisted the help of AI to predict some of this summer’s biggest exits from Premier League clubs. As you’ll see below, the touted fees are as bonkers as some of the transfers with Liverpool’s Mo Salah, Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak *apparently* set to be on the move.

But there are exit predictions involving Manchester City and Manchester United stars that the AI software has nailed, so we have ranked the ten potential transfers from least to most likely to happen this summer…

Heading into this summer, Salah had been expected to leave Liverpool as reports linking him with a move to the Saudi Pro League refused to go away.

Salah remains a key target of the Saudi Pro League and could eventually join two Man City stars in heading to the Middle East as this is clearly his most likely destination if he were to leave Liverpool.

Real Madrid have sporadically been mentioned as a possible alternative, but Salah’s chances of playing in that famous white shirt are likely over following the arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick this summer. Liverpool could raid the Spanish giants for the Egypt international’s replacement, though.

Newcastle selling two assets for £64m combined this summer has eased their FFP issues and £100m-rated Anthony Gordon could also soon leave.

Their situation could have improved in January via the dodgy deal which would have seen Almiron sold to the Saudi Pro League. While this fell through, Newcastle have still joined several rivals in taking the PSR this summer.

An exit for Almiron this summer cannot be ruled out. If he sticks around, he’ll inevitably be phased out in the next season or two as Newcastle’s deep-pocketed owners do more business, but it’s hard to see Napoli being his destination and he certainly won’t cost his buying club £42m.

Another fun but unlikely transfer links Robertson with a union with Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso at Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

Robertson’s performances have gradually been on the downturn in recent years and his injury-impacted 2023/24 campaign is tempting Michael Edwards and co. to search for a long-term replacement; a raid on a rival Premier League club ‘definitely’ has ‘legs’.

This deal could see the Scotland international potentially follow ex-Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka in reviving his career under Alonso, but I’ll be the party pooper and say Leverkusen already have a better left-back with Alejandro Grimaldo and they won’t be spunking a large portion of their budget on the Liverpool defender.

From being denied the chance to player in the black and white of Newcastle United, could Calvert-Lewin wear the black and white of Juventus instead? Probably not.

But Calvert-Lewin would be an upgrade on former Everton striker Moise Kean (who has left to join Fiorentina) and on his day, is capable of pushing ex-Arsenal target Dusan Vlahovic for starts.

With Everton far from out of the PSR woods, Calvert-Lewin (and another favourite of manager Sean Dyche mentioned later) could end up being ushered out of the door but will likely end up at a far less lavish location than Turin.

READ: Stunning Manchester United signing might never be beaten but Chelsea are putting up a transfer fight

It has become increasingly plausible in recent months that Son’s future may lie away from Spurs and as with Harry Kane last summer, this window is likely the last chance they will have to cash in on their adored forward as he has entered the final year of his contract.

Linked with a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce, Son is tipped here to link with a like-minded manager in Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.

Son to Atletico Madrid is a transfer that’s never really been considered but given the traits possessed by the player and their manager’s insistence on work-rate, this shoe fits as Son and Simeone would surely get on like a house on fire. It probably won’t happen, but it definitely should.

Branthwaite has been among this window’s main protagonists after his stunning breakout season at Goodison Park.

Everton having the audacity to set a high asking price for one of their best players looks to have put off Man Utd, who are now set to sign Matthijs de Ligt as a cheaper alternative.

A move to Real Madrid has also been mentioned and they are in the market for a new centre-back following the exit of Nacho. But like Man Utd, they are likely to green light a move for a cheaper option as they are leading the race to sign 18-year-old Leny Yoro.

📣TO THE COMMENTS! Will any of these transfers actually happen his summer? Join the debate here

PSG have been aware of Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid for months, but they are yet to sign his replacement. Up to now, Isak has escaped that conversation but would rank highly on our list of the best options to replace the France international.

Newcastle pulling Brighton and Nottingham Forest’s pants down for Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson reduces the necessity to sell Gordon and/or Bruno Guimaraes this summer, while Isak is reportedly closer to signing a new contract than he is to leaving.

This is a huge boost as unlike his teammates, Isak would be pretty much impossible to replace. However, an offer over £90m may tempt PIF to sanction a sale that would allow them to spend more freely in coming windows and interest from the elite European clubs is surely not far away.

A move away from Arsenal is long overdue for Smith Rowe, who has been left behind as Mikel Arteta’s side have rapidly progressed to become serious contenders for the Premier League title.

He was restricted to a couple of impressive cameo appearances last season, but this was enough to prove Smith Rowe should be being looked at by most Premier League clubs, with Arsenal able to command a sizable fee.

Smith Rowe is purely being linked with Premier League clubs but previously had a spell at RB Leipzig and Dortmund would give him a good platform to relaunch his career. This potential transfer would be far less shocking than some of the moves mentioned above, but it’s still not as likely as a switch across London to rivals Fulham.

MORE PREMIER LEAGUE KEEP/SELL FEATURES ON F365…

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Man City’s transfer window has followed an increasingly familiar theme with players linked with exits. While they are expected to be raided by the Saudi Pro League, Silva is arguably most likely to move on because of the widely reported release clause in his contract.

Barcelona and PSG are known to be the frontrunners in the race to sign him so while the bulk of this list’s previous inclusions are in the fantasy realm, this one could easily end up happening.

The AI software piqued my interest by seemingly throwing big-name players and clubs at a wall to make up interesting deals, but we finish on a whimper with the boring inclusion of Maguire to West Ham.

Injuries meant Maguire had more game time for Man Utd last season than he would have initially expected, but he should have accepted a move to West Ham last summer.

Maguire was one of United’s better performers in 2023/24, but this is not saying much and he’s just as likely to leave this summer as co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe oversees a major rebuild with De Ligt to come in and usurp the Englishman in the pecking order.

Harry Kane has been awful for England at Euro 2024 and his career record in semis and finals is atrocious; should Gareth Southgate consider dropping him?

Kane has scored four goals and provided two assists in 1,551 minutes (a rate of one goal contribution every 258.5 minutes) across 17 semi-final and final matches for club and country. He has been picked despite being unfit with weird frequency. Draw your own conclusions on Kane and England at Euro 2024.

First leg: Tottenham 1 Sheffield United 0

Second leg: Sheffield United 2 Tottenham 2

Spurs made tough work of League One opposition to reach the 2015 League Cup final, dispatching Nigel Clough’s Blades with the help of an Andros Townsend penalty and Christian Eriksen’s second-leg heroics. The Dane cancelled out a Che Adams double with a sensational first-half free-kick and a clever finish from Harry Kane‘s lovely through ball at Bramall Lane.

Benjamin Stambouli finished that game, in which Kane had eight shots without scoring. 2015 Harry Kane was the most pure version of Harry Kane possible.

Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0

Having beaten Chelsea 5-3 in a White Hart Lane thriller on New Year’s Day, Spurs went into the 2015 League Cup final two months later with fresh belief that they could overcome the dominant Premier League leaders. Kane won a free-kick that Eriksen rattled against the Wembley crossbar after ten minutes, with further chances falling to Nacer Chadli and Ryan Mason. But they were soon Jose Mourinho’d by goals late in the first half and early in the second, both deflected, scored by John Terry and Diego Costa. There might be no more painful way to lose an association football game.

Terry’s strike went in off Kane last; he said post-match that “it’s the worst feeling in the world, losing, and losing in a final on the big stage even worse”. He would have plenty of future opportunities to get used to it.

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Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2

Two years later, the same opponent haunted Spurs at the same stadium. Chelsea were once again Premier League champions in the making and while Pochettino had overseen an undoubted improvement, Antonio Conte’s monstrous Blues were not for stopping.

Kane equalised with a glorious 18th-minute header after Willian’s free-kick opened the scoring. The Brazilian netted again, only for Dele to respond. But an Eden Hazard-inspired late blitz sent Chelsea to the final as Spurs fell short again.

Kane was devastated yet again but Heung-min Son at left wing-back was the story.

Manchester United 2 Tottenham 1

Back when Phil Jones wasn’t patted on the head for basic defensive actions, as if he wasn’t a dedicated and very good professional footballer at the absolute highest level, he was busy going through that rite of passage for any centre-half worth their salt: shackling a half-fit Kane in an important cup game.

The Spurs striker rushed back from an ankle injury to be captain for 90 minutes in a disappointing defeat to Manchester United. Dele gave Pochettino’s side an early lead but Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera pegged them back to send Mourinho through again.

Croatia 2 England 1 AET

There had been some inevitable concern over Kane’s fitness heading into the World Cup, rather undermined by six goals in eight Premier League games in April and May, then another half-dozen at the tournament itself from the group stage to the last-16 victory over Colombia.

Things slowed from the quarter-final onwards, however, as England made it past Sweden without their talisman scoring, then ran out of steam against Croatia before the dud of a third-place play-off with Belgium. Kane looked frankly knackered in that semi-final, emphasised best by that first-half chance at 1-0 up: Kane hit it straight at Danijel Subasic, should have squared it to Raheem Sterling and was offside anyway. Perfect hat-trick, that.

First leg: Tottenham 1 Chelsea 0

Second leg: Chelsea 2 Tottenham 1

Another ankle ligament injury stunted Kane’s progress during the 2018/19 season, although he did still manage 24 goals in 40 club appearances. Among those was a penalty the striker won from and converted past Kepa Arrizabalaga in the 26th minute of a first-leg win.

With Kane out of the return at Stamford Bridge, Spurs soon allowed their grip on the tie to slip. N’Golo Kante and Hazard cancelled out their advantage within 40 minutes at Stamford Bridge and while Fernando Llorente sent the game to extra-time and penalties as Kane’s replacement, Eric Dier and Lucas Moura erred from the spot in an agonising shootout.

Tottenham 0 Liverpool 2

Kane managed to recover from that ankle problem and sustain another in the time Spurs made it through to the latter stages of another knockout competition. The inverse of the League Cup run happened as Kane missed the entirety of the Champions League semi-final drama against Ajax before starting the final – his first appearance in 53 days.

There was no semblance of surprise as Kane awkwardly and aimlessly stumbled around the Wanda Metropolitano, managing 26 touches in 90 laboured minutes. Pochettino might forever ponder the decision to play him instead of semi-final hero Lucas, although Liverpool led from the 106th second and the choice of centre-forward might never have changed that.

But Kane really was miserably bad.

Tottenham 2 Brentford 0

Given the chance to really stretch his legs and inspire Spurs to the brink of shiny glory, Kane could not put Championship side Brentford to the sword in a one-legged Carabao Cup semi-final. The hosts never looked truly comfortable, not least a forward who was kept quiet by Mads Sorensen and Ethan Pinnock.

Manchester City 1 Tottenham 0

Mourinho was the mastermind behind that underdog victory but as the Portuguese has reminded anyone who will listen in the three years since, he was not allowed to enjoy the fruit of his labours. That honour was instead bestowed upon Mason, who quickly acclimatised to the role perfectly by conceding that he was “not sure” whether the injured Kane would be fit to feature in the final.

The jury remained very much out during a 90-minute display that produced no shots, no key passes and, perhaps the best indication of an off-colour Kane, no fouls conceded and only one won. His trophy drought went on, while Mourinho added another half to his collection.

Euro 2020 semi-final (one goal, no assists in 120 minutes)

England 2 Denmark 1 AET

It took time for those gears to start whirring at Euro 2020 but Kane soon began to motor, reaching the point where he felt confident enough to purposely miss an extra-time semi-final spot-kick against Denmark so he could score the rebound and ensure all of his tournament goals were non-penalties. He was excellent in the best semi or final performance of his career thus far.

Euro 2020 final (no goals, no assists in 120 minutes)

Italy 1 England 1 (3-2 on penalties)

But Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci soon had a word. Kane was thoroughly restrained in the final, dropping increasingly deeper in search of purpose and meaning. The captain did take a hell of a penalty in the shootout, later mourning a defeat “that will stay with me for the rest of my career”.

Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0

Tottenham 0 Chelsea 1

Kane did score across three hours against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea but it a) ruled out for offside and b) came after Tottenham had gift-wrapped at least two of the three goals the Blues had scored before then. Kane had six shots and did not create a single chance, with Antonio Conte fully resigning himself to the fact that “in the last few years the level of Tottenham has dropped, and dropped a lot”.

He had been manager for about two months.

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Bayern Munich 0 Leipzig 3

After close to a decade of the media and pundits lazily asking whether Kane had to leave Tottenham in order to win trophies, he decided to see for himself. A protracted transfer to Bayern Munich was finally completed and the German juggernaut, Bundesliga champions for 11 consecutive seasons with European honours and a long list of domestic success to boot, opened up a whole new avenue of certain glory.

But Kane’s debut provided quite the dilemma: would it be funnier for the joke to be on Spurs and for Kane to win silverware in literally his first match after leaving; or for the joke to be on Kane with even the German Super Cup unfathomably out of reach?

The joke, as ever, was of course on both. Leipzig had beaten Bayern long before Kane made his debut as a second-half substitute. And Spurs were still Spurs.

Bayern Munich 2 Real Madrid 2

Real Madrid 2 Bayern Munich 1

Despite breaking all manner of Bundesliga scoring records in his first season, it soon became apparent that Kane and Bayern were powerless against an invincible Leverkusen side which had so thoroughly turned the tables. Kane was on the bench for a humiliating DFB-Pokal second-round defeat to Saarbrucken early in the campaign and so all eggs were placed carefully into the Champions League basket.

Kane contributed to knockout wins over Lazio and Arsenal to book a semi-final date with Real Madrid. He gave Bayern a first-leg lead from the penalty spot but Vinicius Junior forced a draw which left things finely poised at the Bernabeu.

Alphonso Davies scored a stunning individual goal after an hour which came from Kane’s wonderful ball, even if he still had plenty of work to do. It was looking rosy enough for Bayern that Tuchel felt comfortable with substituting his star striker due to a back complaint, only for Joselu to happen immediately after.

He appears to have carried that injury into Euro 2024, yet the 18th semi or final of his career beckons.

With Romelu Lukaku and Sergio Reguilon linked with ‘sensational returns’ to Manchester United, who could Sir Jim Ratcliffe re-sign this summer?

Memphis Depay (free agent)

Freshly without a club after being released by Atletico Madrid, 30-year-old Depay has emerged as a potential freebie signing for European clubs and is being linked with several Serie A teams.

Man Utd splashed out £25m to sign Depay in 2015 and he – like most of their big-money signings – struggled before being ushered out of the door after a disappointing season or two in the Premier League.

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear Depay’s move to Man Utd came too soon and he would have benefited from making this great leap after a couple of maturing years elsewhere.

Despite INEOS chief Ratcliffe recently taking control at Old Trafford, Man Utd are working with a tight budget this summer and the free transfer of Depay could be an astute move as he would add depth to an area of the pitch where head coach Erik ten Hag is seriously lacking.

Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest)

Man Utd’s decision to cash in on Elanga last summer for £15m was considered a natural progression under Ten Hag as the club attempted to make steps towards *once again* challenging for the Premier League title.

The same treatment was expected to be given to Scott McTominay, who ended up being one of Man Utd’s most reliable performers in a miserable season which saw the club take several significant steps back after Ten Hag’s promising debut year as head coach.

While Man Utd benefited from McTominay’s solid but unremarkable presence, the same can be said for Elanga, who would have been given plenty of opportunities by Ten Hag, especially considering the Jadon Sancho saga.

Is Elanga good enough to be first choice at Man Utd? Probably not. But he flourished during his 14-goal involvement debut campaign at Nottingham Forest and ongoing reports linking him with Newcastle United are certainly justified.

READ: Man Utd: Rashford, Casemiro sold and Mount stays as Ratcliffe gets rid of 11 in summer fire sale

Angel Gomes (Lille)

One of *very few* positives to come from the 2023/24 season from Man Utd’s perspective was the emergence of their youngsters, with Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund offering hope of a promising future in a season full of misery.

And had Gomes been offered more first-team assurances after breaking through at Old Trafford, he could be providing an exciting front-foot alternative to Man Utd’s midfield department.

Since leaving, Gomes (out of contract in 2025) has racked up over 100 appearances for Ligue Un outfit Lille and he’s coming off a 10-assist season, which should eventually see him earn an improved deal or decent move elsewhere.

Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)

Chelsea outcast Lukaku was the inspiration for this article after Italian media claimed Man Utd are plotting his ‘sensational return’ as they consider him a ‘Plan B’ to £34m top target Joshua Zirkzee.

Belgium exited Euro 2024 prematurely but Lukaku would be among the tournament’s leading scorers if it were not for VAR trolling him after netting 21 goals while on loan at AS Roma.

Lukaku’s performances at Euro 2024 added to his enigmatic tag as he’s far from spectacular to watch. But especially in Serie A, he’s a proven goalscorer and while his spell at Man Utd was littered with criticism, he still managed to grab 42 goals in his 96 appearances.

Zirkzee would certainly be a far more popular and long-term solution as Ratcliffe searches for a striker to compete with Hojlund, the loan/permanent (on a one/two-year deal) return for Lukaku would not be a disastrous alternative.

Andreas Pereira (Fulham)

Elanga and Gomes are examples of former Red Devils who have impressed as big fish in small ponds elsewhere after departing Man Utd and the same can be said for Pereira.

The Brazilian could never truly establish himself as a first-team mainstay at Old Trafford, but has found a loving home at Fulham and is coming off two highly successful seasons at Craven Cottage.

Another target of Newcastle United, Pereira has plenty of options to leave Fulham this summer and could provide decent cover for Bruno Fernandes, provided the Portugal international doesn’t leave this summer.

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Sergio Reguilon (Tottenham Hotspur)

Last summer, Man Utd re-signed a defender as Jonny Evans returned to Old Trafford, with an injury crisis forcing Ten Hag to play him with alarming regularity. And this summer, they are reportedly pursuing the signature of another former defender with left-back Reguilon linked with the Red Devils.

Reguilon’s move to Man Utd from Premier League rivals Spurs was one of last summer’s more surprising transfers and his loan at Old Trafford was prematurely cancelled in January. This was a brainless decision as his exit meant Ten Hag was without a natural left-back for the run-in as Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia endured injury woes.

The Spaniard featured more regularly for Brentford during the run-in and would only provide cover for Luke Shaw, who Man Utd should be looking to replace.

📣TO THE COMMENTS! Who should Man Utd sign this summer? Join the debate here

Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund)

Two players with a Man Utd history starred as surprise packages Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League final. One is expected to return to Carrington for training with Ratcliffe switching his transfer stance and the other is Sabitzer, one of the stand-out performers at Euro 2024.

Austria’s exit in the round of 16 (via a thriller against Turkey) came came a couple of games earlier than expected after ex-United interim boss Ralf Rangnick and his entertaining side became dark horses to go all the way in Germany.

Sabitzer did not do enough during his loan at Man Utd to justify his deal being made permanent but has performed at a whole different level this season and this version of the 30-year-old would be a worthwhile addition to Ten Hag’s squad.

Wilfried Zaha (Galatasaray)

Zaha never came close to ensuring Sir Alex Ferguson’s last signing as Man Utd boss was a success. Our ranking of their signings after his retirement makes for a bleak read, mind.

The Crystal Palace legend came back to haunt his former club last season as he contributed to Man Utd’s disasterclass against new club Galatasaray in the Champions League.

The Ivory Coast international was long overdue a big move away from Palace, but his switch to Galatasaray was somewhat underwhelming after he had been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea in previous windows.

Reports suggest he’s already eyeing a return to the Premier League and a potential redemption arc at Old Trafford would be one of next season’s more intriguing sub-plots.

Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham have all breached the top ten for biggest uncapped English signings ever, but Manchester United might never be beaten.

These players were all uncapped at the time of their signing; whether they went on to represent England is immaterial.

Brewster’s first four senior appearances for Liverpool came in the Community Shield, FA Cup and League Cup. The forward made almost as many Champions League final matchday squads as he did Premier League benches with the Reds but Sheffield United believed in the hype and parted with what will likely forever remain an entirely hypothetical maximum fee of £23.5m.

With five goals and two relegations in 77 games for the Blades, Brewster has not come close to realising the potential which convinced Liverpool to insist upon an expired £40m buy-back clause in his sale. An England call hardly beckons, which ought to please grumpy old nemesis Danny Murphy.

Within four months of his second Premier League move – Maddison actually joined Norwich in the winter before their 2016 relegation, being loaned straight back to Coventry – there came a first England call-up. But the playmaker did not feature and instead had to wait another year for that inaugural cap.

Maddison has gone to a World Cup and made a provisional European Championship squad but only barely has more caps as a Spurs player (four) than during his time with Leicester (three).

“That is my dream – it’s every young player from England’s dream,” he said in April 2023 of an international call-up. “That has to be my goal. I’m hungry, I’m young and I’ve got a lot to give.”

The 24-year-old, Newcastle’s last signing of the pre-PIF era, belongs to that lost era of Declan Rice midfield partners; Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton have jumped the queue.

There was a time when Godfrey could be lumped in with Benjamin White and nary an eyelid was batted. “These two are flexible, they play in different roles and can play left and right. This is a great opportunity for us to know them a bit better and for them to work with the team,” Southgate said after naming the pair in the provisional squad for Euro 2021.

The manager made the right decision in taking White over Godfrey (and probably the wrong one in picking Steve Holland over White). We have got to know both a bit better since and would no longer consider them equals. Although Europa League winners Atalanta know who they prefer.

Gary O’Neil must have been sick of the sight of Bournemouth in summer 2023, losing out on top Wolves target Scott to the team which traded him for Andoni Iraola months prior.

Scott, then a teenager, eventually impressed after overcoming an injury which delayed his Bournemouth debut. On a different timeline he really might have made that England squad for the Euros but his first U21 call only came in March.

It was A Big Thing when Aston Villa agreed to chuck £20m Bournemouth’s way in the process of making the loan of Mings a more permanent feature in 2019.

The centre-half had played a key part in their rise from the Championship and as that year’s official Promoted Team That Makes A Load Of New Signings, it made perfect sense from Villa’s viewpoint if no-one else’s. An England squad place arrived a few months later and the Villa captaincy followed in 2021, much to Steven Gerrard’s future chagrin.

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Manchester United pulled out all the stops and even wheeled in Sir Alex Ferguson but Borussia Dortmund’s pitch involved nonsense like clear pathways to the first team and boring Bellingham decided to make the best possible decision for his career instead of picking based on banter and vibes because he is boring.

Within four months of his Germany move, Bellingham was firmly embedded in the England set-up, not to be moved for about two decades. He cannot have been far off doing a Jay Bothroyd and claiming a Three Lions caps while playing for a lower-division club.

Ramsdale was as uncapped by the senior England side when he joined Arsenal as when he moved back to Sheffield United from Bournemouth the year before. The only difference this time was the ridicule he faced upon that switch to north London as a twice-relegated keeper signed as back-up for Bernd Leno.

It took Ramsdale a couple of months to prove the doubters wrong and not much longer to force his way into the England picture. He plays about as often for them as he does Arsenal now, so not much.

It is a dreadful shame that the 24-year-old Sessegnon remains uncapped and now unattached following his release from Tottenham. A total of 57 appearances in five seasons leaves no mystery as to the problem for a talented player who has been derailed by injuries.

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“The club’s only going forward, so it’s the best thing I can be doing,” said Pickford upon his move from Sunderland to Everton, who had just finished 7th in the Premier League and have come 8th, 8th, 12th, 10th, 16th, 17th and 15th in the subsequent seven campaigns.

His first England call-up came that August before his Three Lions debut in the November. No-one has been able to out-rave him between the sticks for his country in the meantime; Pickford is four clean sheets and eight caps behind Gordon Banks.

“If I play week in, week out next season, I will be in contention for a senior team call-up. I’ve spoken to Gareth and the door is open,” said Madueke last June, before starting 13 Premier League games and beating Mykaylo Mudryk for goals and assists.

That route presumably still exists but Enzo Maresca will have to consistently pick Madueke and thus frequently overlook Chelsea’s many other hundred young forwards.

The outlier in a summer of egregious PSR tomfoolery, Dewsbury-Hall made his professional debut at 21 and thus skipped every stage of the England youth set-up. Being great for Leicester was not enough to register on the radar; simply being at Chelsea likely improves his senior chances.

Leeds were ‘heartbroken’ to lose the boyhood brilliance of an academy product Brentford bid £35m for and, according to some outlets, Tottenham paid up to £40m to sign. But Moussa Sissoko has most commonly been attached to teenager Gray, who has 24 combined caps for England U15s, U16s, U17s, U19s, U20s and U21s.

Kalvin Phillips made his England debut before his Premier League bow. If Southgate cannot function without his safety blanket, perhaps he needs to look at Leeds again.

Signed by Saints from Chelsea for just £5m in 2021, right-back Livramento earned Southampton a massive profit after just 34 appearances, his spell cruelly curtailed by injury.

That likely contributed to his slow start at Newcastle, eventually turning out 35 times in his debut season and helping gradually wean Eddie Howe off his Kieran Trippier fix. It will take something even stronger to curb Southgate’s addiction.

One season as a centre-forward was enough to tempt Aston Villa into parting with up to £33m for Watkins in September 2020. Those £5m in add-ons have surely been achieved across 70 goals, 13 England caps and Champions League qualification, even if he frustratingly remains on the international periphery.

With only 12 career appearances to his name by the time he joined Newcastle on loan, Hall was rather unsurprisingly not in the England picture. A first season with the Magpies in which he made his move permanent but still struggled for game time for the most part did little to improve those prospects.

While Gibbs-White is guaranteed a fair few mentions in every international break, and has even been specifically name-dropped a few times recently by Southgate, his dragging of Forest through successive survival campaigns has not quite translated to England honours yet.

It will come. The 24-year-old has won the U17 World Cup and U21 Euros and that almost guarantees a clear pathway to at least a handful of senior caps once the latest tournament is in the rear-view mirror.

It was assumed by many that Newcastle had taken leave of their entire senses when throwing as much as £45m at Everton for a forward with seven goals and eight assists in 78 games. Gordon has already outstripped both before hitting that appearance mark at Newcastle, with Liverpool speculation leaving his ‘head in a mess’.

Gordon’s remarkable development – at one point only foreseen by the wise Todd Boehly – has been underlined by his role at Euro 2024 as the chief England Clamour.

There will be a Max Kilman in around here somewhere if and when his move to West Ham goes through.

It is easy to forget just how ludicrous this move was at the time. It made absolutely no sense: Chelsea did not need yet another young, exciting forward and if Palmer was of the requisite quality, Manchester City would never have let him go.

But Chelsea have thrown more than enough at the wall for some to stick and Palmer was the shoot of inspiration rather than yet another questionable deal. By the end of the year he had become their most important player and that responsibility only increased to the tune of an England debut, goal and place in their European Championship squad.

Palmer had played just 41 games at senior level when Chelsea signed him for the rough equivalent of around £1m per career appearance. It has gone well.

Crystal Palace supporters probably felt that it was the usual show of big club bias from Southgate to not cap Aaron Wan-Bissaka, then call him up two months after he joined Manchester United. But the Euro 2024 squad proved that Palace are the manager’s new favourite club, and the right-back remains as uncapped at Old Trafford as he ever was at Selhurst Park.