Tottenham's Bold Transfer Moves Under De Zerbi

Tottenham’s summer under Roberto De Zerbi is not drifting into gear. It is accelerating.

The Italian has already ripped into his first priority: the defence. Three new signings are in the building, the back line reshaped before pre-season has truly settled. Now the gaze moves higher up the pitch, where Spurs want something bolder, something that screams of a new era.

They have already swung big. A £75million offer for Sandro Tonali has been knocked back by Newcastle United, a clear signal that Tottenham are prepared to test the market’s upper limits for De Zerbi’s midfield general. West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes is also on their radar as they look to retool the centre of the park with younger, technically sharp options who can live in De Zerbi’s high-tempo structure.

And that is only half the story.

Talks continue with Manchester City over Savinho, the Brazilian forward whose direct running and flair fit the profile of a De Zerbi wide attacker. Spurs want more speed, more incision, more players who can flip a game with one touch in the final third.

Now another name has entered the frame – and it is a heavyweight one.

Spurs circle as Gakpo’s Liverpool future hangs in the balance

Cody Gakpo, a near ever-present for Liverpool in the Premier League last season, has emerged as a serious forward option for Tottenham. At 27, he is in his prime, and his numbers at Anfield underline why he is attracting interest.

Gakpo missed only two league matches through injury and started 32 of his 36 appearances under Arne Slot. Seven goals, five assists, a goal involvement roughly every three games – not explosive, but solid, reliable output in a side stacked with attacking options. The kind of versatility and end product that can tilt tight matches.

On the international stage, his stock is climbing again. Ronald Koeman named him in the Netherlands squad for the 2026 World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico, and Gakpo has started the tournament like a man intent on dictating his own market value. In the 5-1 demolition of Sweden in their second group game, he scored twice and set up another, a performance that jumps off any scouting report.

Those displays only sharpen the question: what next at club level?

Reports suggest Liverpool are at least open to listening to offers this summer. They paid between £35million and £45million to bring Gakpo from PSV in the January 2023 window and, if they do decide to cash in, will expect not just to recoup that fee but to turn a clear profit.

Liverpool, crucially, hold the leverage. Gakpo signed a new contract in the north west only last summer, understood to be worth around £250,000 a week, and he still has four years left on that deal. There is no ticking clock, no looming free transfer, no forced sale. Any club that wants him will have to pay the premium that comes with security.

That is where Tottenham come in.

A deal on Liverpool’s terms

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Spurs are among the clubs exploring a move. They are “trying to understand if there is a way to strike a deal” for Gakpo, he explained, but Liverpool have yet to give any green light to an exit and remain “very happy” with the Dutchman.

The timing complicates everything. With Gakpo locked into a World Cup campaign and his performances under a global spotlight, Liverpool can afford to wait. Each sharp turn, each goal, each assist nudges the price higher. Every game in orange is another piece of leverage in red.

This is not a chase that will resolve in a rush. Romano does not expect any decision from Liverpool during the tournament, nor any immediate move to whisk Gakpo down to north London. For now, it is interest, conversations, and calculations rather than bids and medicals.

What is clear is the intent. De Zerbi wants his attack reshaped with players who can interchange, press, and hurt opponents between the lines. Tottenham want to make a statement that matches that vision. Liverpool, sitting on a prime-age forward in form and under contract, can choose whether to be part of that story – and at what price.

If Spurs decide Gakpo is the man to headline this new frontline, the next move will not be tentative.