Spurs Set To Sign Simons In £51.8m Deal

Tottenham are on the verge of signing RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons for 60m euros (£51.8m).

The Netherlands international is in England, with sources indicating he has completed his medical before signing for Thomas Frank’s side.

The clubs have an agreement in principle over the overall package that will allow the 22-year-old to move to north London, with the finer details of the deal to be concluded within the next 24 hours.

Chelsea held talks with Leipzig over a move for Simons earlier this summer but are set to complete a £40m move for Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho.

Simons is now set to join Joao Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus as summer arrivals at Spurs.

Spurs failed in their bid to sign Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White earlier this summer, while one of their main targets Eberechi Eze chose to join rivals Arsenal from Crystal Palace.

From Barcelona to Tottenham – who is Simons?

A product of Barcelona’s La Masia academy, Simons moved to Paris St-Germain in 2019 as a teenager before impressing during a loan spell at PSV in 2022-23.

He would spend the next two seasons at Leipzig, scoring 22 goals and providing 24 assists in 78 games across all competitions for the German side.

He would be the second major transfer from Leipzig to the Premier League this summer, following Benjamin Sesko’s move to Manchester United in a deal worth £73.7m.

Named Xavi, after the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Simons has long been one of the most sought-after players in Europe.

Simons quickly became a gem in the Catalan giants’ esteemed academy after joining aged seven, and was recognised far beyond it.

By the time he was 14, Simons boasted more than a million Instagram followers, a contract with Nike and had starred in an advert alongside Neymar and Ronaldinho.

Yet at 16, Simons’ career trajectory took a huge detour. Having failed to reach an agreement with Barcelona he joined PSG, following in the footsteps of his idol Neymar – saying the Brazilian looked after him like a “little brother”.

At 17, in February 2021, he made his debut but further opportunities were limited and, by the end of the following season, Simons had accumulated just 11 senior appearances in all competitions.

He went in search of regular football.

A versatile prospect who operates on either wing or behind the striker and speaks six languages, he has already been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, but appears to have now got his move to the Premier League.

He has made 28 appearances for the Netherlands, having become the country’s youngest player to feature in the knockout stages of the World Cup when he made his debut against the USA in Qatar in 2022.

BBC.com