Tottenham Hotspur have secured the £51.8m signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig, bolstering their attacking midfield options after injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. The 22-year-old Netherlands international flew to London on Wednesday to finalise the deal, with his contract expected to run until 2032.
Chelsea, who were also interested in Simons, never made a formal bid, allowing Spurs to move quickly. The Blues are well stocked in attacking midfield and have focused on other targets, including a £40m deal for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho and Barcelona's Fermín López. Chelsea have held further talks with Barça over López, who could cost more than £50m.
Spurs manager Thomas Frank expressed his delight, saying: 'Xavi has proven his ability to get goals and assists, both from the No 10 position and left wing. He also has a great eye for his teammates in terms of unlocking defences.' Simons himself said: 'I will bring flair to the team but also hard work and discipline.'
In other transfer news, Chelsea have agreed a loan move for Brighton winger Facundo Buonanotte, with no option to buy. Wolves are in talks to sign Genk striker Tolu Arokodare for between £15m and £20m. West Ham have completed the £38m signing of Mateus Fernandes from Southampton and the £17.2m signing of Soungoutou Magassa from Monaco, while also monitoring Feyenoord's Quinten Timber.
