Tottenham are reportedly willing to match Bournemouth's €70m asking price for centre-back Illia Zabarnyi, although the Ukrainian international is holding out for a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
While some were pessimistic over how much Thomas Frank would have to spend during his first summer in charge, a reported cash injection from ENIC means the new manager has a plentiful supply of funds at his disposal.
We've already splashed £55m on Mohammed Kudus and were quick to trigger Morgan Gibbs-White's not-so-secret release clause. There's even hope that we could tempt the £100m-rated Adam Wharton to north London.
However, spending big money on a new centre-back is only necessary if Cristian Romero looked set to move on, and our interest in the highly-regarded Zabarnyi has raised further questions over the Argentine's future.
Tottenham's Illia Zabarnyi interest raises doubt over Cristian Romor's future
🚨⚪️ Tottenham Hotspur are interested in CB Ilia Zabarnyi and would be ready to match Bournemouth requested fee of €70m including add-ons, if the player opens to the potential move! Zabarnyi's priority is currently PSG, that is yet to agree on a fee with AFCB.
— Luca Bendoni (@LucaBendoni) July 18, 2025
🇫🇷 The next days… pic.twitter.com/jhvneaZIWb
Romero is entering the penultimate year of his contract and has attracted interest from Atletico Madrid. However, we learned that the Spaniards had dropped their interest in the World Cup winner last week, seemingly paving the way for Romero to stay at the club this summer.
There's been no new information on the 27-year-old's future, but Luca Bendoni's report regarding Zabarnyi suggests that some doubt remains. The Sky Sports Italia reporter understands that Spurs are "ready to match" Bournemouth's €70m valuation of the defender, but notes that Zabarnyi wants to join PSG.
The European champions have been negotiating with the Cherries all summer, but are yet to reach an agreement. Spurs' apparent interest may convince the Parisians to step up their pursuit.
While there's scope for 22-year-old Zabarnyi to start in a back three alongside Micky van de Ven and Romero, I just can't envisage us splurging this sort of money in a position that shouldn't be regarded as a priority need unless the Argentine is leaving the club. I suppose he could emerge as a Romero successor, if the former Atalanta defender opts against extending his contract and we're forced to sell in 12 months time.
Zabarnyi is an excellent defender who went under the radar last season thanks to Dean Huijsen's rise to prominence. The Ukrainian is the archetypal modern-day centre-back who combines impressive athleticism with serene possession play and sound defensive fundamentals.
He'd be a welcome addition in N17, but given our needs elsewhere (a left-sided defender and holding midfielder), I just don't see this one happening given what Bournemouth are demanding.