Tottenham Hotspur are still pushing to sign two players before the summer transfer window closes in a matter of hours, as they remain keen on adding a winger to bolster an attack that looked downright woeful against Bournemouth this weekend - and they are also still interested in pursuing more defensive depth after the Cherries carved them up, too.
However, it looks like Tottenham may end up walking away from the summer transfer market empty-handed at the back, because their top potential upgrade at the center back position has already chosen to sign with a different Champions League club.
According to a report from Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have decided to send out star center back Manuel Akanji after all, because following some hesitation regarding his transfer status, the Citizens have sent him on loan to Serie A giants Inter Milan, 2024/25 Champions League Finalists against PSG and 2022/23 Champions League Finalists against Akanji's own Manchester City.
Inter ramped up their interest in Akanji, jumping ahead of rivals AC Milan and even the previous favorites Tottenham to sign the Swiss international. The Nerazzurri became so interested in Akanji due to transfer rumors linking away their own standout center back Benjamin Pavard, who could head to France for busy transfer window shoppers Marseille.
Inter Milan got a good deal
The terms of the deal taking Akanji from Manchester to Milano are quite friendly, too, which will no doubt come as a blow to Tottenham. Inter's loan fee for Akanji is a meager two million euros, even cheaper than the five million Tottenham are set to pay to PSG for Randal Kolo Muani. And Akanji has a buy option of just 15 million euros if Inter want to sign him permanently at the end of the 2025/26 Serie A season. That clause, per Fab, will become mandatory if Inter win Serie A and Akanji plays at least half the games.
At 30, Akanji suits Serie A very well as a cerebral and technical defender in a back three, so the fit for him there is better than at Tottenham. Frank and many Spurs fans won't be too broken up about missing out on Akanji and seeing him pick a team that went further in the Champions League and is competing for league titles, since it's both understandable and Akanji wouldn't have been a starter for them.
It's even debatable if Akanji would have been a better third center back option than Kevin Danso, and with Radu Dragusin, a former Serie A standout for Genoa, set to return from an injury, Frank and Spurs should have enough options in central defense. Now to sign a winger...