Huge Xavi Simons transfer update as RB Leipzig star in London for Tottenham and Chelsea talks

Xavi Simons has been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham (Image: (Photo by Pieter van der Woude/BSR Agency/Getty Images))

Xavi Simons has been given permission by RB Leipzig to miss training and travel to London amid transfer links with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea .

Chelsea have led the pursuit of Simons all summer and Stamford Bridge had been the favoured destination of the Netherlands international, but with no transfer agreed, Spurs have now joined the race his signature. After missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, Spurs have seemingly turned their attention to Simons.

The attacking midfielder has been allowed to leave Leipzig’s training base and fly to England for meetings with Premier League clubs to resolve his future before Monday’s transfer deadline. Spurs boss Thomas Frank has been on the hunt for a new number 10 since he was appointed in June, with injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski making a signing all the more pressing.

Frank has repeatedly expressed confidence that Spurs would boost their squad and after talks with Manchester City over Savinho cooled this week, the club’s focus swiftly shifted to Simons. A product of Barcelona’s La Masia academy, versatile attacker Simons moved to Paris St Germain in 2019 as a teenager before he made headlines during a productive loan spell at PSV in the 2022-23 campaign.

Simons would spend the next two seasons at Leipzig, scoring 22 goals in 78 appearances before his move was made permanent earlier this year. However, with Leipzig willing to let the 22-year-old leave for a sizeable fee, Tottenham have entered the race for his signature and will hope to pull off a much-needed attacking addition before the summer transfer window shuts.