Tottenham are poised to make significant defensive decisions this summer, with updates emerging on both Luka Vuskovic and John Stones.
Vuskovic is unlikely to return to Hamburg on loan for the 2026/27 season, though a temporary move to another club remains a possibility for the 19-year-old.
The Croatian central defender spent the 2025/26 campaign at the German club, producing dominant displays and scoring six goals to earn a place in the Bundesliga team of the season.
Multiple major clubs, including Bayern Munich and Barcelona, have been circling Vuskovic, with Manchester United the latest interested party to emerge in recent weeks.
Despite the attention, Spurs value the teenager at £60million and consider him part of the club’s long-term vision, making a permanent departure unlikely at this stage.
Roberto De Zerbi is instead expected to turn to the transfer market to address his immediate defensive concerns, with experienced additions seen as a priority this summer.
According to The Independent, England international John Stones is being targeted on a free transfer after the 31-year-old said his goodbyes to Manchester City following a decade at the club.
Stones is exactly the type of player chief executive Vinai Venkatesham had in mind when he publicly outlined the club’s transfer ambitions earlier this summer.
Venkatesham told the BBC: “The squad needs work and the squad hasn’t got the right balance. We need experience and leadership, and also that kind of physical robustness to play in the most demanding league that exists.”
He added: “We need to strengthen the club over multiple transfer windows but this transfer window, in particular, is going to be critical.”
Tottenham have already moved to strengthen their defensive options, with Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson reported to have agreed free transfers, though neither deal has been officially confirmed.
Should both players formalise their moves to north London, Stones would become De Zerbi’s third free signing of the summer, underlining the club’s shrewd approach in the current window.
Robertson has since been linked with Italian giants Juventus, but Tottenham appear to be frontrunners, having first identified the Scotsman as a potential target back in January.
Senesi, 29, was also earmarked as a possible addition after an excellent season on the south coast, with Liverpool and Manchester United also credited with interest in the defender.
Brazilian winger Savinho is another Manchester City player wanted by Tottenham, having been a target last summer before Pep Guardiola pushed to keep him at the club.
An injury then derailed any potential January move, leaving Spurs hopeful of finally completing a deal for the winger in the current transfer window.
Brighton trio Jan Paul van Hecke, Bart Verbruggen and Carlos Baleba have also been linked with moves to Spurs, which would see them reunite with former Brighton boss De Zerbi.
Wholesale exits are also anticipated, with Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Guglielmo Vicario, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr among the senior players who could leave the club.
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