adminTottenham Hotspur could continue their remarkable summer spending with an ambitious move for a £57 million-rated defender who reportedly turned down a transfer to north London rivals Arsenal.
Following their successful battle against relegation, Roberto De Zerbi has wasted little time reshaping the Spurs squad, with the club already spending around £228 million on new arrivals.
Sandro Tonali has arrived for a club-record £100 million, surpassing the £85 million Spurs paid for Matheus Fernandes just days earlier. Jean-Paul Van Hecke has also joined from Brighton in a £52 million deal.
However, Tottenham are not finished in the transfer market and remain keen to strengthen their defence, particularly after Cristian Romero’s departure for Atletico Madrid.
According to TEAMtalk, Spurs could now explore a move for Paris Saint-Germain defender Illia Zabarnyi, who may be available this summer.
Zabarnyi was previously linked with a move to Liverpool and a potential reunion with Andoni Iraola. However, the Reds have instead completed a deal for Barcelona defender Ronaldo Araujo, making a move for Zabarnyi less likely.
Chelsea have also strengthened their defence by signing Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace and appear unlikely to pursue another central defender.
That could leave Tottenham with an opportunity to push ahead with their interest in Zabarnyi. The Ukrainian’s ability to play comfortably with the ball could make him an attractive option for De Zerbi, whose teams traditionally prefer to build attacks from the back.
Spurs target previously rejected Arsenal
Zabarnyi could already have some goodwill among Tottenham supporters after reportedly turning down Arsenal in the summer of 2024.
The Gunners are understood to have monitored the defender closely, including sending scouts to watch him during Euro 2024 as they considered making a move.
Instead, Zabarnyi committed his future to Bournemouth by signing a new contract that would keep him at the club until 2029.
At the time, he expressed his happiness with the direction of the club and his desire to remain part of their project.
Zabarnyi initially joined Bournemouth from Dynamo Kyiv for around £24 million in January 2023. He remained with the Cherries for another year before eventually making the move to PSG, where he has since made 38 appearances across all competitions.
With Tottenham still searching for defensive reinforcements, a potential move for the £57 million-rated Zabarnyi could become one of the more intriguing deals of the remaining transfer window.
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