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All six signings at Tottenham Hotspur this summer have come from within the Premier League, if including Martin Dubravka's switch from relegated Burnley, and there doesn't appear to be any change in tack based on recent reports.
Indeed, amid Roberto De Zerbi's search for more firepower, the Lilywhites are still looking toward proven Premier League options, having lasered in on Liverpool's Cody Gakpo.
Whether or not the Reds are open to a sale remains to be seen, but Spurs' interest is firmly there, with prior reports indicating that the 27-year-old could command a fee of around £60m.
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He's a player who's had his critics on Merseyside, but Gakpo's always seemingly delivered against the north London side.
Gakpo's record against the Premier League's 'big six'
The Dutchman has certainly been involved in some eventful, high-scoring meetings between the two clubs since his arrival in England in January 2023, notably providing two assists in the 4-3 thriller at the tail-end of that season.
Later that year two, the 6 foot 4 winger scored Liverpool's equaliser in a highly controversial 2-1 win for Spurs at N17, the visitors seeing two players dismissed while Luis Diaz's opener was infamously ruled out for 'offside'.
Gakpo has scored three more goals and registered a further assist against his potential future employers since then, none of which came last season, ensuring his record stands at seven goal involvements in just nine career meetings with the Lilywhites.
Cody Gakpo in action for Liverpool
With regard to the rest of the so-called 'big six', the in-demand forward has scored just once against both Manchester City and Chelsea, alongside scoring once and registering one assist against Arsenal to date.
While his favourite Premier League opponent has been West Ham, whom he's scored against seven times, Gakpo does also boast a stellar record against Manchester United, netting five in eight in all competitions.
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Gakpo Record vs 'Big Six'
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Considering his exploits on the international stage too, having scored six goals across the last two World Cups, as well as three at the Euros, you could say he is a man who can deliver on the big occasion,
That's not to say he's perfect, however, with there also other ways that De Zerbi could strengthen his forward line this summer.
How Spurs could seal a bigger coup than Gakpo
As already noted, De Zerbi appears to have been insistent on moving for players who have already flourished in English football, with that a trend mirrored by their rivals, amid Chelsea's capture of Morgan Rogers, or Arsenal's pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes.
REUTERS/Scott Heppell
That's not to say that ENIC can't also look further afield for new additions too, with Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen one name to have been mentioned.
More recently too, German outlet Fussballdaten have reported that Spurs are among a list of Premier League clubs who are keen on signing Stuttgart sensation, Bilal El Khannouss.
El Khannouss
The suggestion is that Tottenham have already held talks with both the player's representatives and with the Bundesliga side, in order to ascertain what the potential terms of a deal could look like.
The Lilywhites are said to be prepared to register a first bid of around €30m (£26m), as they seek to beat the likes of Newcastle United and Crystal Palace to his signature.
Stuttgart might well be looking for a fee closer to €50m (£43m), with that speaking to just what a talent El Khannouss is, the young Moroccan likely to represent an even bigger coup than signing Gakpo.
Indeed, at just 22, the former Leicester City man is already flourishing at the elite level, having started all six games for an impressive Morocco side at the World Cup, after featuring once in Qatar in 2022 after a shock call-up for the then-teenager.
This time around, he was far more heavily involved, averaging 1.2 per game for both key passes and successful dribbles.
Although Gakpo did better him in terms of goals scored (three vs zero), the pair both registered one assist, while the Liverpool man only averaged 0.8 for both key passes and successful dribbles.
In essence, Gakpo's game is largely all about goals, while El Khannouss has so many strings to his bow, such a delightful player to watch either on the flanks or in a number ten berth.
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In his first season in Germany last time out, for instance, the £43m-rated sensation scored and assisted nine goals, while creating eight 'big chances' and averaging 1.8 key passes per game.
He'd even sparkled in a relegated Leicester City side prior to that, ending 2024/25 with five goals and assists in the Premier League, while creating eight 'big chances' and averaging 1.1 successful dribbles per game.
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In the view of Thorsten Fink, who coached him previously in Belgium, the ex-Genk playmaker can "become one of the best footballers in Europe", as he's a "very special" talent.
Considering Gakpo is 27, he's not exactly an option for the long-term, El Khannouss could instead be someone to light up the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for years to come.
In the view of analyst and Como scout, Ben Mattinson, he's "one of the best creators for the future of the modern game". It certainly looks like Spurs could be onto a winner with this one.
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