Tottenham in talks with Premier League rival in serious statement of intent: report

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank reacts prior to the pre-season friendly match between Reading and Tottenham Hotspur at Select Car Leasing Stadium on July 19, 2025 in Reading, England.

Tottenham are set to battle four Champions League teams to sign a Premier League defender.

Spurs can also offer a place in Europe’s premier competition thanks to their Europa League final win against Manchester United at the end of last season.

However, aside from that silverware, it was a difficult season for the north London side, who suffered a number of defensive injuries and wound up finishing 17th in the league, leading to the sacking of former boss Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham to battle PSG, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool for Premier League defender

Paris Saint-Germain look an attractive destination following their Champions League triumph (Image credit: Getty Images)

Spurs were already, therefore, in need of cover at the back, but their needs may become even starker if Atletico Madrid follow up on their interest in Cristian Romero.

Thomas Frank’s side have a replacement in mind and are ready to commit, but it still looks a difficult deal to conclude.

Cristian Romero's future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is far from certain (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to CaughtOffside, Spurs are interested in Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi and are ready to pay his full €70m asking price.

Transfer journalist Duncan Castles has claimed on the Transfers podcast that the club have already launched a bid of that value, too.

That may not be enough to get the deal done, however, as the player is currently focused on Paris Saint-Germain, who have bid multiple times for the Ukraine international but are yet to see an offer accepted by the Cherries.

That’s added to interest from Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool, all teams who could use the services of a young, Premier League-proven centre-back. But Zabarnyi is believed to have handed in a transfer request to fast-track a move to the French capital, in a deal PSG are confident they can get done.

Zabarnyi has impressed at Bournemouth over the past couple of seasons (Image credit: Getty Images)

Dominic Solanke – whose £54.42 million move from Bournemouth in the 2024/25 summer window made him one of the top 100 most expensive players of all time – broke the record for being the Lilywhites' record signing last summer.

The BBC reported Kudus' fee as being £55m earlier this month – and now chairman Daniel Levy may sanction an even bigger move.

In FourFourTwo’s view, Spurs are still behind in the running for the Ukrainian: PSG, following their Champions League win with a stable of young talent, are widely regarded as one of the best teams in Europe and will be fancied to go far in the competition once again this year.

While Tottenham are in the competition too, the outlook is not as promising, with the Lilywhites having snuck in via the Europa League back door after finishing a jaw-dropping 17th in the Premier League.

Not to mention PSG are further along in their interest with multiple bids already submitted. It seems a simple choice for the player.

Zabarnyi is valued at €42m, according to Transfermarkt.