NEW LILYWHITES BOSS THOMAS FRANK IS ON A MISSION TO BOLSTER HIS SIDE’S WIDE RANKS, BUT THE CLUB APPEAR TO BE FALLING BEHIND IN THE RACE TO SIGN BRENTFORD’S BRYAN MBEUMO.
THE CAMEROON INTERNATIONAL IS SAID TO HAVE EARMARKED MANCHESTER UNITED AS HIS NUMBER ONE DESTINATION, AND THE RED DEVILS HAVE NOW COME FORWARD WITH A SECOND BID FOR THE FORMER TROYES ATTACKER.
EVEN THOUGH SPURS CAN OFFER MBEUMO BOTH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE WORKING UNDER FRANK IN THE ENGLISH CAPITAL, THE WINGER APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN SEDUCED BY THE PULL OF MOVING TO OLD TRAFFORD.
THERE IS STILL NO GUARANTEE THAT MAN UNITED WILL AGREE A FEE WITH THE BEES, BUT TOTTENHAM ARE CONSIDERING ALTERNATIVES, AND EZE APPEARS TO BE AT THE TOP OF THEIR LIST IN THAT REGARD.
TOTTENHAM ‘BELIEVE’ EZE IS OPEN TO SUMMER TRANSFER TALK OF THE 26-YEAR-OLD MOVING TO THE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM HAS GATHERED PACE IN RECENT WEEKS, AND ACCORDING TO THE GUARDIAN, SPURS BELIEVE THAT EZE WOULD BE HAPPY TO LINK UP WITH FRANK NEXT SEASON.
EZE CONTINUED TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH IN THE 2024-25 SEASON, CLINCHING AN FA CUP WINNERS’ MEDAL AND COMING UP WITH 14 GOALS AND 11 ASSISTS FROM 43 GAMES ACROSS ALL COMPETITIONS, INCLUDING EIGHT EFFORTS AND EIGHT HELPERS IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE.
THE REPORT ADDS THAT TOTTENHAM AND EZE’S REPRESENTATIVES SHARE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP, AND THE LILYWHITES HAVE INTERNALLY DISCUSSED WHETHER TO MAKE THE ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL FRANK’S FIRST MARQUEE SIGNING IN NORTH LONDON.
EZE IS ABOUT TO ENTER THE FINAL TWO YEARS OF HIS CONTRACT AT SELHURST PARK, AND HIS TERMS ARE UNDERSTOOD TO INCLUDE A £68M RELEASE CLAUSE, ALTHOUGH TOTTENHAM COULD TRY TO NEGOTIATE A LOWER FEE IF IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT HE WILL NOT RENEW HIS DEAL.
THE 26-YEAR-OLD HAS CONTRIBUTED A TOTAL OF 40 GOALS AND 28 ASSISTS IN 167 APPEARANCES FOR THE EAGLES, WHO PAID £15.2M TO SIGN HIM FROM QUEENS PARK RANGERS IN THE SUMMER OF 2020.
COULD EZE FILL SON HEUNG-MIN’S BOOTS AT TOTTENHAM?
SPURS HAVE ALREADY SPLASHED OUT AN EIGHT-FIGURE FEE ON ONE ATTACKER THIS SUMMER, SIGNING FORMER LOANEE MATHYS TEL ON A PERMANENT DEAL FROM BAYERN MUNICH IN A DEAL WORTH UP TO £42.6M.
IN EZE, HOWEVER, TOTTENHAM WOULD BE CAPTURING A MORE EXPERIENCED PLAYMAKER AND ONE WHO HAS ALREADY PROVEN HIMSELF IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE, MAKING HIM A NATURAL FIT TO INHERIT SON HEUNG-MIN’S THRONE.
THE SOUTH KOREAN ATTACKER IS CONTRACTED TO TOTTENHAM FOR ANOTHER YEAR, HAVING HAD AN EXTENSION TRIGGERED A FEW MONTHS AGO, BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER A LONG-TERM RENEWAL IS A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION.
REGARDLESS, TOTTENHAM BOSS FRANK IS ALLEGEDLY OPEN TO SELLING SON THIS SUMMER IF THE RIGHT OFFER COMES ALONG, BUT FANS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETE CONFIDENCE IN EZE TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT IN PLACE OF THEIR LEGENDARY SKIPPER.
AT THE OTHER END OF THE FIELD, THE EUROPA LEAGUE WINNERS HAVE REPORTEDLY STRUCK A £5M DEAL TO SIGN KAWASAKI FRONTALE DEFENDER KOTA TAKAI, WHILE FELLOW YOUNG DEFENDER LUKA VUSKOVIC WILL ALSO BE ASSESSED IN PRE-SEASON.
