Here are your Tottenham Hotspur morning headlines for Friday, 16 October.
Swans holding out for big money
Tottenham Hotspur target Joe Rodon will not come cheap, with Swansea City demanding Spurs pay their full £18million asking price.
The 22-year-old centre-back has attracted interest from Spurs and Leicester City, with the former seeing a £7m bid rejected.
It appears as though Spurs will need to more than double their offer if they are to land the defender before Friday’s 5pm deadline, according to the Daily Mail.
Rodon came through Swansea’s academy and has just shy of 50 first-team appearances to his name.
Jose Mourinho had been keen to add a centre-back to his squad this summer, but moves for Rodon and Inter’s Milan Skriniar have so far failed to come off.
Mourinho coy on potential start for Bale
Mourinho refused to comment on rumours that Gareth Bale could start in Tottenham’s clash with London rivals West Ham United this weekend.
Bale is yet to make his second debut for the club since returning on a season-long loan from Real Madrid, which will see Spurs fork out £20m in loan fees and wages.
"The decisions we are going to make will be for the good of the team but also for his own good," Mourinho stated, speaking to Sky Sports News.
When probed for a straight answer, Mourinho did not give anything away, stressing the importance Bale can have in his team but not whether his influence would see him take to the field on Sunday.
Spurs squad devalued by coronavirus break
Tottenham players’ collective transfer market value has dropped since the beginning of the year, largely due to the changing environment clubs are operating in following the coronavirus shutdown.
Earlier this year, Spurs’ squad was valued at £777.15m by Transfermarkt.com, but that figure has fallen to £660.20m in the past seven months.
This would ordinarily be a worry for Spurs fans, but it still places them in the top 10 most valuable squads in world football, including above rivals Arsenal.
However, Tottenham are only the fifth-most valuable Premier League squad, behind Liverpool and Manchester City who make up the top two, Chelsea and Manchester United.
