RB Leipzig have granted Xavi Simons permission to miss training and travel to London to finalise his future, with Tottenham Hotspur entering the race to sign the Netherlands international. The 22-year-old has been given the green light to hold meetings with Premier League clubs before Monday's transfer deadline.
Chelsea have led the pursuit of Simons throughout the summer and Stamford Bridge was viewed as the player's preferred destination. However, with no agreement reached, Tottenham have seized the opportunity to make their move as they look to bolster their attacking options.
Spurs manager Thomas Frank has been seeking a new number 10 since his appointment in June. The club's attempts to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest failed, and Arsenal subsequently hijacked a move for Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze. Tottenham were also dealt a blow by a serious knee injury to James Maddison, which is expected to rule him out for most of the season.
Frank has expressed confidence that Spurs would strengthen their squad, and after talks with Manchester City over Savinho cooled this week, attention swiftly turned to Simons. The versatile attacker came through Barcelona's La Masia academy before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. He impressed on loan at PSV in the 2022-23 campaign, then spent two seasons at Leipzig, scoring 22 goals in 78 appearances, with his move becoming permanent earlier this year.
Leipzig are willing to let Simons leave for a sizeable fee, and Tottenham will hope to secure a much-needed attacking addition before the window closes.
