Tottenham now have to battle Arsenal, Chelsea for biggest dream transfer target

Will Tottenham make a real statement?
Paris Saint-Germain v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final Second Leg
Paris Saint-Germain v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final Second Leg | James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages

Tottenham Hotspur are already on the verge of three major permanent transfers to beef up their attack this summer, as Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus, and Morgan Gibbs-White are all talented footballers who have the potential to become even better and approach top-class status in the Premier League if the Spurs project under Thomas Frank yields the results his coaching did at Brentford over the years.

But the deeper reality on the transfer market is that Tottenham under Daniel Levy have yet to make a true impact, statement signing. Last season, when they had the chance to sign Desire Doue ahead of European giants, they simply withered away when it mattered most, allowing Doue to become one of the key players for a PSG side that won the Champions League.

For the most part, Levy and Spurs have avoided mixing it up with the big boys on the transfer market for the most coveted transfers available. And with Frank coming in and a new era starting for the Europa League champions, perhaps this is the year that has to change with at least one marquee signing.

Tottenham are watching a young midfield superstar

Right now, Tottenham's biggest dream signing on the board in terms of meshing quality and need is box-to-box midfielder Xavi Simons, who emerged as one of Europe's biggest talents a couple of years ago at PSV and then furthered his breakout status into true superstardom as an elite Bundesliga player for RB Leipzig.

Simons is wanted by Tottenham and a legitimate option for Spurs, but, now, he just got a lot harder to sign with the other London giants now after him. Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Tottenham's most bitter rivals Arsenal and Chelsea are now interested in the supremely gifted 22-year-old, who is already one of the best all-around midfielders in European football (for three years now) despite his age.

Per Fab, Simons is "prepared" to exit Leipzig this summer, and while no talks have been formally made between any clubs, all the big teams in the Premier League are plugged in on his situation. The team of his youth, Barcelona, have also been linked but are not concretely interested, according to Romano.

Tottenham need to get in on this as quickly as possible, because as with Christian Norgaard to Arsenal or Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United or Rayan Cherki to Manchester City, the longer Spurs wait, the less likely they are to beat more prestigious clubs to the punch. And Tottenham have plenty to offer Simons in terms of status and can level the playing field with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea as reigning Europa League champions; they just have to make the effort to do so.