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linked midfielder 'open' to Premier League return

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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Sporting Lisbon winger Marcus Edwards.

The 25-year-old enjoyed a relatively-productive campaign in front of goal last term, netting four goals and providing four assists across 26 Primeira Liga appearances.

Since making the switch from fellow Portuguese outfit Vitoria de Guimaraes in January 2022, Edwards has played 110 times for Sporting, scoring on 21 occasions.

Despite impressing in a top European league, the attacker is not on the fringes of Gareth Southgate's England squad, although the winger could target a place in the 2026 World Cup team.

That being said, Edwards has played for his nation at youth level, representing England Under-19s on five occasions during the early part of his professional career.

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Tottenham-linked Edwards 'open' to Premier League move

According to Football Insider, Edwards's six-year stint away from English football could be coming to an end during this summer's transfer window.

The report claims that the Sporting star is open to a move to Tottenham, who are looking to bolstering their forward line ahead of the new season.

Although the Lilywhites have failed to submit an official offer yet, it is understood that Ange Postecoglou's side have asked to be kept informed about the player's situation.

Edwards was on the books of Spurs' academy until 2018, with the attacker making 22 appearances for Tottenham Under-23s between 2016 and 2018.

Postecoglou was unable to replace the goalscoring threat of Harry Kane last summer, and although Edwards is not a centre forward, he could still add attacking threat.

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Crystal Palace join Tottenham in race for Edwards?

As well as the North Londoners, it is believed that Crystal Palace are in the hunt for the services of Sporting Lisbon man Edwards this summer.

Following the departure of France Under-21 international Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, the Eagles are in the market for a new right winger.

Olise provided 16 goal contributions in just 19 Premier League appearances for Oliver Glasner's side last season, linking up well with the likes of Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze.

It is understood that Palace are preparing a bid for Edwards, who could be tempted to Selhurst Park with promises of regular game time, a luxury that may not be guaranteed at Spurs.

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Tottenham XI vs. Hearts: Predicted lineup for pre

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Tottenham Hotspur travel to Tynecastle Park on Wednesday to face Hearts in their first official friendly of the summer, having put seven past Cambridge United behind closed doors at the weekend.

Ange Postecoglou will be without a host of internationals in midweek, including Copa America winners Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, as well as Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Radu Dragusin, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur.

In addition, Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies and Fraser Forster are all working their way back from injuries, leaving Postecoglou bereft of options at the back in particular, and such shortages should see Brandon Austin guard the posts.

Pedro Porro and Ashley Phillips should be involved from the off, while a distinct lack of centre-backs could see 16-year-old Jun'ai Byfield given a chance after he was involved in the Cambridge contest.

Nineteen-year-old striker Jamie Donley reportedly filled in at left-back over the weekend and might do so again here, but Postecoglou is blessed with experienced options further up the field.

While new boys Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall should be involved at some stage, Oliver Skipp and Yves Bissouma might be preferred from the off in midfield, just behind creative focal point James Maddison.

Back for a full-season loan from RB Leipzig, Timo Werner could be given the nod on Tottenham's left flank, as Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min complete the attacking system.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Austin; Porro, Phillips, Byfield, Donley; Bissouma, Skipp; Kulusevski, Maddison, Werner; Son

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Preview: Hearts vs. Tottenham Hotspur

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Preview: Hearts vs. Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups - Sports Mole
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Following a behind-closed-doors goal-fest in their opening engagement of the summer, Tottenham Hotspur head north to tackle Hearts in Wednesday's pre-season friendly at Tynecastle Park.

Ange Postecoglou gave numerous players a run-out against Cambridge United over the weekend, while their Scottish hosts fell to a 2-1 loss to Leyton Orient on Saturday.

Match preview

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While a small number of Spurs fans were only too happy to see their side hand the Premier League title initiative to Manchester City a few months back - giving the Citizens a helping hand in their efforts to deny Arsenal a long-awaited crown - Postecoglou's fiery post-match press conference had shades of Antonio Conte vs. Southampton in 2023.

Failure to put a dent in Man City's title aspirations - their fifth loss from their last seven Premier League fixtures - ultimately cost Tottenham the chance to play in the 2024-25 Champions League, but they will return to UEFA competition nonetheless as they battle for Europa League supremacy in the coming months.

Now that the dust has settled and Postecoglou has enjoyed a summer of Euro 2024 punditry duties, Tottenham - who showed serious signs of offensive progress in the first half of 2023-24 at least - are returning to Hotspur Way in dribs and drabs, as players fulfil their international commitments in Germany or the USA.

Wednesday's fixture might represent Spurs' first official friendly of the summer, but the Lilywhites have already put seven past League One Cambridge in a training match this summer, following up a 5-0 first-half crushing with a 2-2 second-half draw on July 13.

Plenty of Postecoglou's regular first-team stars saw the field that day, and the Lilywhites also have showdowns with Queens Park Rangers, Vissel Kobe and Team K League to look forward to as part of their pre-season programme, as well as a double-header with Bayern Munich.

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As is the case with their upcoming visitors, Hearts' bid to upset the Scottish Premiership apple cart and force their way into the Champions League also ended in failure, but their qualification for the Europa League was not met with as much ridicule.

With Celtic and Rangers still engaging in their perpetual two-horse fight for glory, Steven Naismith's men finished as the best of the rest with 68 points on the board, comfortably nabbing third place and a spot in the final qualifying round of Europe's secondary competition.

While Naismith has been at the helm since April 2023, this will be his first complete season as full-time head coach - his appointment to such a position was confirmed last September - but the hosts' pre-season preparations got off to a shaky start on Saturday.

Indeed, League One outfit Leyton Orient arrived at Tynecastle Park and left with a 2-1 triumph under their belts courtesy of strikes from Jordan Brown and Diallang Jaiyesimi, who rendered a ninth-minute opener from Liam Boyce inconsequential.

After coming up short in their inaugural battle with Leyton Orient, Hearts reunite with Tottenham 13 years on from their two-legged affair in the 2011-12 Europa League qualifiers, where Harry Redknapp's Spurs ran out 5-0 victors in Scotland before completing the job with a dull goalless draw at White Hart Lane.

Hearts friendly form:

Tottenham Hotspur friendly form:

Team News

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Fresh from conquering South America with Argentina, Copa America winners Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso are among Tottenham's internationals absent from this fixture, a list that also includes Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Radu Dragusin, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Goalkeeper Fraser Forster (ankle) and left-back duo Ben Davies (calf) and Destiny Udogie (thigh) are still on the mend from their season-ending injuries, but Timo Werner - back for another loan spell from RB Leipzig - was involved against Cambridge after his own springtime fitness woes.

The weekend's affair also saw versatile teenager Archie Gray and Swedish starlet Lucas Bergvall earn their first minutes under Postecoglou, who is also understood to have omitted Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon, who are both expected to depart imminently.

Likewise, hosts Hearts have also had a few players donning their national team colours over the past few weeks, including Scotland duo Lawrence Shankland and Zander Clark, alongside Costa Rica pair Gerald Taylor and Kenneth Vargas.

Veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon - still kicking at 41 years of age - was named to the Scotland preliminary squad for the Euros as well, but he was cut from the final selection and played 45 minutes of the recent loss to Leyton Orient.

Gordon was joined for the first half by defensive cornerstone Craig Halkett, who suffered a horrid time with knee injuries last season but came through 45 minutes unscathed on Saturday.

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Gordon; Oyegoke, Kent, Rowles, Neilson; Tagawa, Spittal, Tait, Dhanda; Boyce, Drammeh

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Austin; Porro, Phillips, Byfield, Donley; Bissouma, Skipp; Kulusevski, Maddison, Werner; Son

We say: Hearts 1-4 Tottenham Hotspur

After Postecoglou made an expected plethora of changes for their second 'match' against Cambridge, the Lilywhites were unsurprisingly not the same force that they initially were, and a similar approach should be adopted this time around as well.

However, should Tottenham put out a fearsome team from the first whistle, they ought to have far too much for Naismith's Hearts, who should at least bag a consolation effort.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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old as Postecoglou 'obsession' revealed

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Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly learned what it will take to prise in-demand Lille striker Jonathan David away from Ligue 1 this summer.

Over the past couple of years, not a single transfer window has gone by without the Canada international being linked with an exit from the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, and such a move should finally materialise this time around.

David had already made a name for himself with Belgian side Gent before joining Lille in a £23.2m deal in the summer of 2020, and a dream debut campaign with Les Dogues saw him win the 2020-21 Ligue 1 title.

Since Lille temporarily dethroned Paris Saint-Germain as kings of France, David has continued to go from strength to strength, firing in 26 goals across all competitions in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns and, in addition to providing nine assists last season.

The Canada international also helped his side enjoy a historic run at the ongoing Copa America as the Canucks reached the semi-finals, where they lost to Argentina, and he scored in Saturday's third-placed playoff against Uruguay.

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Tottenham 'told to pay £25m' for David

David's 80th-minute goal would seemingly clinch the bronze medal for Canada, but Luis Suarez equalised for Uruguay deep into injury time before the South Americans won a tense penalty shootout, where David went first for the Canucks and converted his spot kick.

With Canada's Copa America campaign now done and dusted, the 24-year-old's future should be decided imminently, and an exit from Lille is seen as inevitable due to the fact that he is now in the last year of his contract.

Even though the French giants are at risk of losing David on a free transfer next summer, Football Insider claims that Les Dogues are still after a fee of £25m to part ways with him in the current window.

Such a fee should still prove affordable for many of his suitors, including Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea, while West Ham United are also believed to be in the mix too.

From 183 matches in a Lille shirt, David has come up with 84 goals and 18 assists, while an exceptional record for Canada reads 28 goals and 16 assists in 54 senior appearances.

Postecoglou "obsessed" with Tottenham striker signing

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The capture of David would help to fulfil a key transfer demand for Tottenham boss Postecoglou, whom the report claims is "obsessed" with adding a new striker to his ranks this summer.

The Australian only worked with Harry Kane for a matter of weeks last summer before the England captain signed for Bayern Munich, while Alejo Veliz did not set the world alight in his debut season and spent the second half of the year on loan with Sevilla.

As a result, Richarlison and Son Heung-min shared the number nine burden last summer, but Spurs are believed to be open to appropriate bids for the former, while Son's contract is due to expire in 2025.

A new striker is therefore believed to be a priority for Tottenham ahead of the 2024-25 season, and they are also tracking Feyenoord's Santiago Gimenez, but he would be a more expensive acquisition than David.

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favour Tottenham defender?

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Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Sergio Reguilon this summer.

The Spaniard spent the first half of the 2023-24 term on loan at Old Trafford, where he made 12 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions.

Reguilon then returned to Spurs during the January transfer window before being sent out to fellow Premier League outfit Brentford for the remainder of the campaign.

Cementing himself as a starter at the Gtech Community Stadium, the 27-year-old featured in 16 top-flight fixtures for Thomas Frank's side before the conclusion of the season.

Reguilon was a regular for Spurs during his first two years at the club, playing 67 competitive matches under the likes of former Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte.

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Man United 'plotting' to re-sign Tottenham's Reguilon

However, with Ange Postecoglou taking the Lilywhites in a different direction in terms of football approach, Reguilon is said to be surplus to requirements in North London.

With this in mind, Manchester United are plotting a move to secure the services of the left-back on a permanent deal this summer, according to Football Insider.

The report states that a number of clubs from across the continent are keen on signing Reguilon, who joined Spurs during the summer of 2020.

However, a transfer to the Red Devils would allow the defender to remain in the Premier League, a potential dealmaker in negotiations with Erik ten Hag's side.

It is understood that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is willing to accept an offer in the region of £10m for Reguilon, meaning that the Lilywhites would be making a significant loss on the player.

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Tottenham raising funds for bigger aims

With the arrivals of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall in North London this year, it is clear to see that Tottenham are planning for the future.

Postecoglou is aiming to mould his Spurs side into one which can compete for major honours over a sustained period of time, challenging the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal.

As good as a coach the Australian is, the Lilywhites still need a massive overhaul of their playing squad to realise their ambitions, meaning that the departure of Reguilon is inevitable in some respects.

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Man United, Tottenham 'dealt' transfer blow as club vow to keep England ace

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Crystal Palace are reportedly becoming increasingly confident of keeping hold of in-demand attacker Eberechi Eze during this summer's transfer window.

Eze, 26, is currently with the England squad at this summer's European Championship, and he has certainly played his part in the national side reaching the final of the competition.

The attacker has made three appearances at Euro 2024, featuring off the bench in the fixtures with Denmark, Slovakia and Switzerland, but he was an unused substitute against the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

Eze entered the tournament off the back of a strong season at Palace, managing 11 goals and six assists in 31 appearances in all competitions.

Both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have been credited with an interest in the playmaker, with reports claiming that he could be available for the right price this summer.

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Palace 'expecting' to keep hold of Eze

However, according to Football Insider, Palace are doing everything they can in a bid to keep Eze at Selhurst Park, at least for another season.

The Eagles have already made a high-profile sale this summer, with Michael Olise moving to Bayern Munich, and a departure for Eze would make it a double blow for the capital side.

The report claims that 'optimism is high' at Selhurst Park when it comes to keeping Eze, with the attacker not thought to be pushing for an exit this summer.

The Englishman made the move to Palace from Queens Park Rangers in August 2020, and he has represented the club on 124 occasions, scoring 26 goals and registering 17 assists in the process.

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Is Glasner expecting to keep Eze?

Back in April, Palace head coach Oliver Glasner said that he was confident that both Eze and Olise would still be at the club for the 2024-25 campaign.

"We think [Eze and Olise] will play for Crystal Palace next season," Glasner told reporters at the time. "They are two fantastic football players and two great characters - this is important for me.

"There is nothing for me to discuss. If someone is worth £60m, £50m or £2m, I don't know - this is the business world and I am a manager.

"For me, it's important whether they can help the team win games. The answer is yes. I have been in a football for a long time and no team in the world can say on April 26 how the squad will look next season. We don't know, but we think they will be at Crystal Palace next season."

As a result, it seems unlikely that the club will allow both Olise and Eze to depart in the same window, and Man United and Tottenham could therefore be forced to move onto alternative targets.

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