Tottenham are reportedly preparing a grand bid to sign Bournemouth stopper Illya Zabarnyj, who is also a key player for Paris Saint-Germain.
Spurs have already completed the signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, are still confident of a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White despite Nottingham Forest’s legal challenges, and now Thomas Frank wants to further strengthen their defence.
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After signing Kevin Danso on a permanent deal after his loan spell last year, Frank is reportedly keen to bring in another new centre-back.
Tottenham tries to “hijack” the PSG goal
According to talkSPORT, Tottenham have “registered interest” in Bournemouth’s Illia Zabarny and are trying to “hijack” PSG’s pursuit of the 22-year-old Ukrainian.
However, Bournemouth do not feel pressure to sell Zabarny and are reluctant to let him go after selling Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid earlier in the transfer window.
The report claims that it will require a “significant sum” for Bournemouth to consider a sale.
TEAMtalk’s transfer expert Rudy Galetti revealed on June 22 that PSG had a bid of €60 million (£51.4 million) rejected by Bournemouth.
Thus, Tottenham will have to make a higher bid to lure Zabarny away from the English south coast club.
Defense reinforcement in progress
Tottenham want to support Frank in the market and are working to finalise a Gibbs-White deal in the next few days.
If a Zabarny transfer follows, he will provide the former Brentford manager with another strong defensive talent with the potential for further development.
The interest in Zabarny comes amid rumours that key player Cristian Romero could leave the club.
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Romero speculation affects strategy
Atletico Madrid have been heavily linked with the Argentine international, but reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano insists that there were no formal bids from the Spanish club.
But even if Romero does not leave this summer, his contract expires in 2027. If he does not extend this season, Spurs could be forced to sell him in a year’s time.
Zabarnyj is, like Romero, a right-footed centre-back and could eventually become a replacement if the Argentine chooses to leave.
Tottenham have yet to make a bid for Zabarnyj, but he is on the radar and a player for fans to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
Bournemouth boss praises Zabarnyj
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said in February:
“Since I came to the club, we have never once taken him off during a game – not a single minute. This shows how much we trust him, how reliable and strong he is, and that he is one of those players who is very easy to train.”
“He’s always attentive, comes to training every day in a good mood, and I like to see his development. When I came here, he was a fantastic player, but quite shy. Now you see how he organizes the entire defense. It shows his development, and he is becoming more and more important to us. I love him as a person and as a player.”
