Tottenham reignite bid to land box-to-box midfielder
Tottenham have reportedly ramped up their interest in landing another Premier League midfielder after Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid jumped into the race to sign top target Conor Gallagher.
The Chelsea and England star has been on Ange Postecoglou’s radar since the January window, with the Blues expected to part ways with potentially two or three of their homegrown stars in order to keep in line with financial regulations.
TEAMtalk transfer insider Frazer Fletcher has revealed to us that Spurs have already held talks with Gallagher’s representatives and are fully prepared to make a bid when the time is right.
Read – Tottenham admire 25-goal Premier League star but summer move proves difficult
However, Chelsea’s price tag of around £50million for a player who is out of contract in the summer of 2025 may still be a bit too rich for Daniel Levy amid the potential of a bidding war with Villa.
Ange Postecoglou is known to want potentially two central midfielders as well as another centre-back and a new No.9, so the summer transfer budget will need to be balanced wisely to get all those additions on board.
With that in mind, Football Insider reports that Tottenham are ready to make a fresh move Everton’s James Garner, who could be available for around £30m.
We covered a report back in February that suggested Garner had become a realistic option for Postecoglou, with the 23-year-old one of the few shining lights for Everton in what was largely a season of struggle before a late surge pulled them away from relegation trouble.
Garner brings midfield versatility
While FI lists Garner as a defensive midfielder, we believe Tottenham are looking at the player as more of a box-to-box No.8, a they have been with Gallagher.
Of his 44 appearances for the Toffees in all competitions this past season, he played exactly half as a No.8 with only seven coming in a defensive role.
Despite only scoring two goals and adding two assists, Postecoglou believes he can bring out much from Garner in a more dynamic role in Tottenham’s midfield – unlocking the true potential he showed as a young talent at Manchester United.
Everton forked out £15m to land Garner in 2022 after he impressed in a loan spell at Nottingham Forest but could now double their money after his impressive campaign.
The fact that Garner can line up in so many different roles is hugely appealing for Postecoglou as Spurs prepare to offload Napoli target Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso, while there are also major question marks surrounding the futures of Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp in north London.
As for Everton’s hopes of keeping the player, it’s stated that they have opened talks over the renewal of his contract, which runs out in the summer of 2026.
However, a takeover cloud continues to hover above Goodison Park after the collapse of 777 Partners’ takeover and left financial concerns that could yet lead to two or three significant sales to satisfy PSR chiefs.
To that end, Tottenham will certainly be watching how events unfold on Merseyside with a view to making an official move for Garner over the coming weeks.