Tottenham sign Netherlands winger Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig

Tottenham sign Netherlands winger Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig


Tottenham have announced the signing of Xavi Simons from Red Bull Leipzig on a long term contract.

Sources have told ESPN the fee was in the region of €60 million ($70m).

The 22-year-old was in London on Thursday to finalise a move having been given permission to travel by Leipzig.

Simons has been at the Bundesliga club since 2023, initially on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, before making the move permanent in January of last season.

There he scored 22 goals and assisted 24 times in 78 appearances, winning the German Super Cup in the 2023/24 season.

A graduate of both the Barcelona and PSG academies, Simons has been hot property for some time now, and showed his immense talent with a goal for the Netherlands against England in the Euro 2024 semi-final.

Simons, who will wear the No. 7 jersey previously worn by Son Heung-Min at Tottenham, said: “I’m really happy and can’t wait to get going. I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time.

“It’s a great club and when I met the head coach I knew straight away that this was the right place for me.

“I will bring flair to the team but also hard work and discipline. I want to do everything I can to win, for the team and also for the fans.”

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank, who has enjoyed a perfect start to the Premier League season said: “I’m really pleased we have brought Xavi in — he is a great addition to the squad.

“He is still young, however he already has good experience and, over the past few years, has played a lot of games at the top level.

“Xavi has proven his ability to get goals and assists, both from the number 10 position and left-wing. He also has a great eye for his team-mates in terms of unlocking defences, and I know he will come in and be part of a good team that is already working hard together.”

Sources told ESPN that Chelsea held an interest all summer but opted not to rival Spurs with a formal offer, instead focusing their efforts on completing the £40m ($53m) signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.

Although Chelsea opted not to make an official offer, the deal for Simons is a significant coup for Spurs given they have missed out on other key targets in the attacking midfield position.

Morgan Gibbs-White opted to sign a new contract with Nottingham Forest while Eberechi Eze chose to leave Crystal Palace for Arsenal when a deal had also been agreed with Spurs.

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Simons bolsters a position weakened by James Maddison’s serious knee injury — he underwent anterior cruciate ligament surgery earlier this month — and will help manager Frank build on his promising start to life at the club, having masterminded an impressive 2-0 win at Manchester City last weekend.

Chelsea meanwhile, could look to move for Barcelona’s Fermín López although they need to comply with the terms of a UEFA punishment which dictates they must record a positive transfer balance in relation to last season’s Conference League squad to register new signings for this year’s Champions League campaign.

Christopher Nkunku’s imminent €42m ($49m) move to AC Milan will help in that regard. Sources told ESPN the future of Nicolas Jackson remains unclear amid interest from Newcastle, Aston Villa and Juventus but a resolution is expected before Monday’s transfer deadline.

Information from ESPN’s James Olley contributed to this report.





ESPN

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