Xavi Simons is in London to hold talks about his future amid interest from Chelsea and Tottenham.
RB Leipzig excused the 22-year-old from training on Thursday, according to Sky in Germany, as he explores a potential Premier League transfer.
Leipzig want a package worth around £60m for the Netherlands international and it looks as if London rivals Chelsea and Spurs will fight it out for his signature.
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Spurs are in talks over the signing of Simons, with one source describing those discussions as positive.
Simons is highly regarded inside Spurs, who have a good relationship with Leipzig.
Chelsea are still considering whether to make an offer for Simons, who is a long-term target.
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Dennis Bayer of Sky Germany believes whatever club RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons joins, be it Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur, he’ll be a success.
Spurs have made signing a No 10 a priority and Simons fits the bill. He is a player they have an interest in but, after missing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, Spurs may be wary of competing with another rival for another attacking midfielder.
Simons played predominantly as a No 8 on the left side of Leipzig’s 4-3-3 midfield last season but he can also play off a striker and come in from wider positions in the attack.
That makes him an ideal rotation option for Cole Palmer, or an alternative either to Chelsea’s wide players or Joao Pedro.
Image:
Xavi Simons’ heat map and shot map for RB Leipzig during his time in the Bundesliga
Simons came through La Masia, the famed Barcelona academy, from where he initially attracted Chelsea’s interest, before going on to Paris Saint-Germain and then RB Leipzig.
Spurs in the hunt for three positions
As well as Simons, West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers are well liked at Spurs – but both are considered not for sale.
Nico Paz is also admired, but a deal for the Como attacking midfielder is considered a non-starter due to Real Madrid’s financial interest in the player. They have a 50-per-cent sell-on inserted in his contract and a buy-back clause worth £8.7m.
Spurs also missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White this summer when he signed a new Nottingham Forest contract.
As well as a No 10, Spurs want to sign a left winger and have targeted Man City’s Savinho. However, City do not want to sell and would only negotiate once they had signed a replacement.
A left-sided centre-back is also a position Spurs would like to strengthen before the window closes.
Thomas Frank giving the green light for Luka Vuskovic to join Hamburg on loan could be an indication that there is confidence at Spurs that a centre-back will come in. Ideally it would be a left-footed one.
Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie had his admirers inside the club but is not a player they are considering amid interest from Arsenal. With Frank often switching to a back three, a late move for a senior defender remains possible.