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Tottenham told to ‘move quickly and quietly’ to sign long-time Chelsea target

Tottenham have been told to go out and sign Xavi Simons despite the RB Leipzig midfielder seeming to be on the verge of a move to Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge side have been working for a number of weeks to sign the Dutchman but with less than a week to go, the former PSG and Barcelona midfielder remains in Germany.

Tottenham were reported to have entered the race but TEAMtalk journalist Fraser Fletcher suggests that the player only has eyes for Chelsea.

‘Simons has rejected advances from Tottenham Hotspur, signaling his preference to join the Blues. Leipzig, however, are holding firm on a £70million valuation – and player sales may be required for Chelsea to match this price tag.’

But despite that warning, former Spurs scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that after missing out on Eze, Spurs should pull off a hijack of their own and convince Simons to join them instead of Chelsea.

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“Missing out on Eze was a huge blow for Tottenham,” he said.

“It’s a position the manager wants to strengthen because of the injury to James Maddison.

“But now they’re going to have to look at a few other options.

“I’m a bit worried about Tottenham and how they’ve struggled to get deals over the line, and I think too much of it has played out in the public eye.

“But one player I hear they’ve been looking at is Xavi Simons.

“I’ve heard good things about him, and he’s clearly a decent player because Chelsea have been interested in him for pretty much the whole summer.

“If Tottenham have identified him as an option, they’ll have to move quickly and quietly to get it done.

“They can’t afford to keep missing out on targets.

“If they want him, go and get him, and do it without making everybody aware of what you’re doing.”

Simons is not the only target on Spurs’ radar as Daniel Levy gets ready for his typically late transfer business.

The latest reports suggest they are also looking at Morgan Rogers and are hoping to capitalise on Aston Villa’s PSR issues, although a move remains unlikely.

Transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano said on his YouTube channel that Spurs had been approaching many clubs for a new midfielder but have yet to arrive on a target.

“Morgan Rogers is a dream target but Villa don’t want to sell,” Romano said. “So it looks very difficult.

“In the last 24-48 hours, they’ve made calls for other players: Lucas Paqueta at West Ham and Semenyo at Bournemouth. Soon it’s time to make final decisions and Spurs movements are going to be one to watch in the final days of the window.”

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