Sport Witness

Galatasaray and Beşiktaş wanted to sign Tottenham Hotspur’s Sergio Reguilón before the Turkish winter window closed on February 11th.

The two clubs weren’t successful because AS stated last month that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was reluctant to sanction a move.

Reguilón has less than four months left on his contract and his future is likely to be away from Tottenham. Sevilla are showing interest in the left-back.

That’s according to Vamos Mi Sevilla FC, and they state the Liga side’s directors consider the Spain international is an ‘ideal candidate’. The report adds he’s ‘on top’ of Sevilla sporting director Víctor Orta’s target list.

García Pimienta currently has Adrià Pedrosa as the only recognised left-back at Sevilla. They clearly need to strengthen this position in the summer window and have ‘already started working’ to find the player taking their finances into account.

The 28-year-old was on loan at Sevilla during the 2019/20 season. He knows the league and the club very well and it should make it easier for him to adapt, if he returns to the Andalusian club.

Reguilón has been limited to 242 minutes from five games for Spurs this season and all these appearances came in December and January. The report says he ‘barely plays’.

These two factors, coupled with his contract situation, makes the Spaniard an ideal target for Sevilla.

Reguilón needs to make a decision on whether he wants to return to his former club. Vamos Mi Sevilla FC makes no mention of this and only reports Sevilla’s intention to sign him for free.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Yves Bissouma has been in and out of Ange Postecoglou’s playing XI in recent weeks.

The Mali international’s contract expires in 2026, and his long-term future at Tottenham is said to be uncertain.

Over the past few days, several claims from the UK stated that clubs from England and France are showing interest in Bissouma.

Africa Foot contacted former Slavia Prague midfielder Bassirou Dembélé, who is ‘close’ to the Tottenham player. They asked him about his friend’s situation at the north London club and about his future.

The midfielder arrived at Tottenham in 2022, after spending four years at Brighton & Hove Albion. The 28-year-old moved to Europe when Lille signed him from Real Bamako in 2016 and two years later, he joined the Seagulls.

Dembélé hyped up Bissouma and insisted he must continue in the Premier League amid the transfer links.

“Yves Bissouma must stay in the Premier League. He’s a world-class player, capable of playing in the top 10 biggest clubs in the world. We have to wait until the end of the season,” he said.

“Let’s not forget that he has a market value of €35m and is under contract until 2026. He is only 28 and has a bright future ahead of him.”

“Of course, he is lacking playing time at the moment, but he has already been through a similar situation at Lille, before bouncing back brilliantly. At the time, he was already courted by Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa, before signing for Brighton for around €29m in 2018.”

Crystal Palace, Everton, Aston Villa, Marseille and Lyon are all reportedly interested in the former Seagulls man. Bissouma’s friend hasn’t entertained these links, but claims he isn’t surprised about the rumoured interest.

“These are just rumours, but it isn’t surprising that Yves is in such high demand. When you are one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, the big teams are always on the lookout, especially at the end of your contract,” Dembélé explained.

“Let’s wait until the end of the season to see how things evolve. Yves has a steely mind, he is a competitor, ready to take on challenges.”

Dembélé was ‘discreet’ on what could happen to Bissouma’s future at Tottenham beyond this season.

“There are things that cannot be revealed at the moment. Big clubs have always been interested in him [Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, ​​Bayern, Liverpool, Chelsea, Juventus], but we must let time do its work,” he added.

“When the time comes, all the information will be revealed. What is certain is that Yves Bissouma is aiming higher.”

Yves Bissouma has been in and out of Tottenham Hotspur’s starting lineup in the Premier League over the past two months or so.

The Mali international has made 12 league starts this season and eight more in other competitions. He has less than 18 months left on his contract.

Recent claims in the UK have talked about Tottenham wanting to sell the midfielder in the summer window. It was also stated the former Lille man would favour a move back to France.

Marseille and OGC Nice are said to be keen on securing his services. Jeunes Footeux relay that and discuss whether Roberto De Zerbi’s side will sign the 28-year-old.

They ask if Marseille president Pablo Longoria is willing to invest €20m on the Tottenham player in the next window. The outlet claims his arrival can improve their midfielder, but at the same time it can cause ‘traffic jam’ in the defensive midfield position.

Last summer, Spurs let Pierre-Emile Højbjerg join the Ligue 1 club on loan with an option to buy. De Zerbi has Højbjerg, Ismaël Bennacer, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Valentin Rongier as his defensive midfielders.

The position is currently well covered, and some may argue it may need strengthening if they qualify for the Champions League.

Jeunes Footeux insist Marseille will find it difficult to find players who must settle for a limited role. Therefore, it’s unlikely for Longoria to make an approach for Bissouma in the summer.

With regards to Nice’s interest in Bissouma, the report claims they have to sell first before buying him.

Tottenham were keen on signing attacking players in the winter transfer window.

Spurs landed Mathys Tel on a loan deal from Bayern Munich and reportedly attempted to sign Santiago Gimenez before he joined AC Milan.

There is now a hint that Tottenham are still looking to bolster their attack, but Arsenal are believed to have a better on one specific player.

Florian Plettenberg has reported that the player in question is RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, who also interests Chelsea and Manchester United.

Tottenham are presented as a suitor for the Slovenian, who has a release clause that can rise to €80m in the summer transfer window.

Ange Postecoglou’s side ‘have little chance’ of landing the striker. In the meantime, Arsenal have expressed strong interest in their willingness to land him.

So far this season, Sesko has ten goals in the Bundesliga and has four assists as well. He’s scored four Champions League goals, showing his quality at the highest level.

Since Tel is at Spurs on a temporary basis, it would not be a surprise to see Daniel Levy move for another attacker. For now, the belief in Germany is it’s highly unlikely that attacker will be Sesko.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Inter Milan’s Davide Frattesi over the last few months.

Back in January, a report stated that the Lilywhites could be favourites to land the midfielder as they can afford to meet Inter’s price tag, leaving Napoli and Roma behind in the chase.

TuttoSport today have provided some background about Tottenham’s liking for the 25-year-old midfielder.

The Italian paper claim that while Nottingham Forest are planning a summer move for the Italy international, Spurs have already attempted a move.

They state that Tottenham ‘tested the waters’ in January but the deal could never quite take off.

That was because of Inter’s high demands and they had put up a ‘wall’ to make sure that Frattesi stayed at the Giuseppe Meazza in the winter transfer window.

They succeeded in keeping the Azzurri star but his game time has dried up once again since then. He has played only ten minutes in the last three games in the Serie A.

This can make sure that his situation attracts more attention in the summer and it remains to be seen if Tottenham will come forward again.

Tottenham Hotspur have secured an option to buy Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso as part of Giovani Lo Celso’s sale to the Spanish club last summer.

Cardoso has impressed this season and on February 4th, Real Betis rewarded with him a new contract until 2030.

Last month, Marca stated there won’t be any changes to Tottenham’s preferential option to buy the American for €25m in the summer despite his new €80m release clause.

Mucho Deporte points out Tottenham can buy the midfielder for €25m and the clause is only valid in June.

At the weekend, the Spurs target played with Isco in the La Liga club’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid. Cardoso scored the equaliser in the 34th minute before Isco scored the winner against his former club in the second half.

Mucho Deporte state the clash against Los Blancos showed Cardoso has become a ‘luxury’ partner for Isco.

He was paired along with Sergi Altimira in midfield and gave ‘balance’ to Real Betis’ midfield. The outlet claims Cardoso was crucial for his side, while going forward and also when stopping Real Madrid’s attack.

The 23-year-old completed 87% pass completion rate, blocked three shots and made five interceptions along with a goal. He was ‘enormous’ for 90 minutes against the Champions League winners.

Cardoso continues to attract interest from other clubs, but Tottenham have the advantage of exercising the clause to buy him for €25m.

His recent impressive performances should certainly please Spurs and this is a deal all lined up for the summer.

Fabio Paratici had a controversial end to his time at Tottenham Hotspur, with a ban relating to irregularities from his psell at Juventus

He brought in players like Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario, Rodrigo Bentancur and Destiny Udogie, but his director operations with the London club stopped due to the ban imposed by FIFA in 2023.

While Paratici is still advising Tottenham despite not being under a formal contract, his future looks uncertain and TuttoSport have reported about the situation.

The outlet state that there are a host of potential suitors for Paratici, who has attracted other clubs in England and talks have been held with Premier League sides.

A return to Tottenham has been described as ‘difficult’ despite the fact that he has a very good relationship with the club’s upper management.

The 52-year-old is thought to be keen on returning to a role in Italy soon and there is interest from AC Milan, who also have ex-Lazio sporting director Igli Tare on their shortlist. Going to the San Siro could potentially be Paratici’s solution.

No decision has been made yet and no decisive moves have come forward for him.

Tottenham Hotspur are working on extending Rodrigo Bentancur’s contract, according to TuttoMercatoWeb.

The Uruguay international has been a regular under Ange Postecoglou when available for selection.

Despite being suspended for domestic fixtures for his remarks against Son Heung-min, he made 28 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham this season.

The midfielder is a ‘pillar’ of this current Spurs squad and has less than 18 months left on his contract. The Premier League club want to secure his long-term future by offering him an extension.

TMW state the former Celtic manager is also in favour of this and is ‘pushing’ for the 27-year-old’s renewal.

Tottenham consider the South American ‘fundamental’ to the project and started contacts with his entourage to extend the contract. At this point in time, the discussions haven’t yet progressed and are still in early stages.

With Tottenham and Postecoglou keen to extend the player’s contract, the report states the English club will schedule meetings with his entourage in the ‘coming weeks’. More developments are expected in this case.

Bentancur joined the Premier League side from Juventus in January 2022 and made 97 appearances for them so far.

Inter Milan’s Davide Frattesi is still on Tottenham Hotspur’s radar after they looked at him in the last two windows.

Last month, we covered claims from Italy which stated Spurs were ready to make an offer and the midfielder is ready to pack his bags. The said proposal never arrived and he’s still at the San Siro.

InterLive.it state Tottenham already tried to convince the Serie A club to sell the 25-year-old last summer but weren’t successful.

The north London club are expected to return for the Italy international at the end of this season.

InterLive.it mention ‘€30m on the table’, with them believing that’s the fee Tottenham are willing to propose.

Either way, it looks like Spurs aim to sign him for €30m. The report states Inter president Giuseppe Marotta could end up selling the player in the next window.

The English club have been after him since last summer and are still ‘on the hunt’ for him. They could secure his services, provided they were to convince the Italian.

InterLive.it state ‘almost everything’ will depend on Frattesi, who was inclined on leaving the San Siro in January.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Bryan Gil has been on loan at Girona since last summer and scored four goals and registered three assists from 30 games for them so far.

The La Liga side have an option to make the winger’s stay permanent for €15m at the end of this season.

Estadio Deportivo reports on Girona’s plans for the Tottenham man and their title says ‘signing is within reach’.

The 24-year-old has done well for the Spanish club but there are still doubts over extending his stay because of the financial conditions. They have no plans to exercise the €15m purchase clause.

Gil’s contract at Tottenham lasts until 2026, meaning the summer window will be the last big chance of Spurs to cash in from his sale. Due to his contract situation, Estadio state the north London club will ‘lose the position of strength’ during the transfer negotiations.

Girona won’t move until the end of this season and are waiting for the summer window to reopen to try to negotiate with Tottenham to lower the price.

The attacker isn’t part of Ange Postecoglou’s core plans. Therefore, Tottenham could risk losing him for free in 2026 or send him out on loan late in the next window if they decide to not reduce the asking price.

With Girona unlikely to exercise the purchase clause, Gil will be back in the market after this season, and he prioritises returning to La Liga.

Estadio’s title says Gil’s signing is ‘within reach’ for Girona, which appears to be related to the confidence over a cheaper deal.