Spurs in club-to-club talks to sign £50m star

Tottenham Hotspur have survived, and now, they need to build under Roberto De Zerbi’s management.

Had Tottenham persisted with Igor Tudor, or indeed Thomas Frank, there’s a genuine possibility that they would be preparing for life in the Championship right now, but De Zerbi was hired, so Spurs survived the pull of relegation.

This mess cannot happen again. Thankfully, ENIC have promised to learn from the error of their ways, with shrewd deals for Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi wrapped up, both on Bosmans.

However, rumours of Manchester United interest in Cristian Romero persist, and it’s clear that the club captain will indeed jump ship this summer, if not to Old Trafford, then abroad.

Spurs in talks to sign Romero replacement

Tottenham need to make sweeping changes this summer, and they are already on the case. Senesi will add fluency and Premier League experience, and the same could be said for Jan Paul van Hecke.

The Brighton defender has already been the subject of a knocked-back bid from the Lilywhites, who have maintained their bid. That said, Tony Bloom’s outfit are known to play hardball at the negotiating table, and Van Hecke has been priced at a lofty £70m.

Is that a fair reflection of the Netherlands star’s skillset? Maybe, maybe not. The point here is that Spurs can ill-afford any blunders this summer. So much is on the line, and the quandary is deepened by Romero’s expected departure.

According to TuttoSport over in Italy, Gleison Bremer is at the top of De Zerbi’s summer wishlist, with club-to-club discussions for the Juventus centre-half already underway.

The Brazil international is worth €58m (£50m), with the window for that price tag open until August 10th. Should Spurs hope to strike a deal for an affordable figure, they will need to make their mind up quickly.

To put that another way: would Bremer be preferable to Van Hecke?

Why Bremer could be better than Van Hecke for Spurs

Bremer and De Zerbi know each other well, having worked together at Sassuolo in Italy, so the coach’s interest in signing his former player should come as little surprise. Tottenham need defenders, and Bremer would add the perfect blend of physicality, modern technical qualities and defensive strength.

Described as a “monster” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Bremer is 29 years old, but he could pack a considerable punch in a Spurs side who might need his top-level experience – with Romero taking all his with him when he inevitably departs.

Van Hecke has been described by analyst Raj Chohan as “the type of centre-back that De Zerbi loves”, intelligent and fluid on the ball, but there’s something of a question mark over his actual defensive ability, which is by no means shoddy but perhaps not the hallmark of his skillset.

Defensive struggles have been commonplace down N17 over the past few years, and it’s not a theme that fans will want to revisit next season. In that, the mounting interest in Bremer becomes even more understandable.

Given that Bremer only featured across six games during the 2024/25 Serie A season, there’s reason to believe that he could hit an even higher level at Tottenham next year, having rebounded from his long-term layoff this term and gone from strength to strength throughout.

Two years ago​​​​​​, Bremer was named the ​”best defender in Serie A” by Juventus legend Sergi Brio, that tag only torn from him by incessant injuries.

His more calculated and aggressive defensive style could see him pick up the pieces left after Romero’s vacation. Van Hecke is athletic and talented, but would he be the right fit alongside Micky van de Ven and Marcos Senesi, two elegant defenders?

Tottenham need to rewrite the script under De Zerbi. It’s promising to note that the resurgence was sparked with Romero on the sidelines, and now, the addition of Bremer could help reinforce the backline ahead of the new campaign.