Tottenham were informed they would possibly sign Edmond Tapsoba this summer through Bayer Leverkusen boss Simon Rolfes, who said the Burkina Faso centre-back was unavailable “in general circumstances”. Spurs have been in talks with the Bundesliga club. about a move for the 24-year-old in recent weeks, but they may now also be forced to explore other targets with Leverkusen now striving to remain the player after winger Moussa Diathrough was sold for £52 million to Aston Villa.
Rolfes responded with conviction when asked if Tapsoba would be on the market: “No, not in general circumstances!It is transparent that at some point there are limits. But Edmond is a very vital player.
“He’s one of the players on our team, for sure. He still has a long contract. Therefore, we have no explanation for thinking about resigning. “
Tottenham remain interested in Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven, negotiations with the German club seem to have fallen silent lately.
There is also interest in Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo, who recently sat out of Fulham’s match-day squad for their pre-season friendly win over Brentford in Philadelphia as he nears the starting gate.
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Fulham are keen to sell the 25-year-old Englishman this summer as he has one year left on his current contract at Craven Cottage.
He is much admired through Spurs, Monaco and other European clubs and may constitute a profitable solution as Leverkusen desperately clings to Tapsoba.
Speaking to Express Sport in an exclusive interview last summer, Rolfes admitted he was not surprised by the interest of English clubs in the Leverkusen defensive stalwart, whom he sees as a very sensible player.
“I can believe there are a lot of stories about him in England. There have been no discussions [in 2022] and we must keep him because he is a fantastic player,” he said proudly.
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“Edmond has a quality that is his building game. It is the best for our taste of play. He has a long contract, so we don’t want to communicate about him. “
Meanwhile, Spurs boss Angel Postecoglou outlined his plans for moving the centre-back on Tuesday, saying: “We’re going to bring in at least one. “
Spurs are also expected to sell Davinson Sanchez after accepting an offer from Russian side Spartak Moscow. It’s possible that other central defenders will still move, adding Joe Rodon.
Tottenham conceded 63 Premier League goals last season and five top-flight teams have dispatched more in the 2022/23 campaign.
Asked if he was frustrated by delays in Spurs’ moves, Postecoglou added: “There’s no frustration, it’s just the world of football. I’ve been here long enough to know how it works. “
“I want it to be like my wife and Amazon, where we get deliveries every day, but without frustration. “
Crystal Palace centre-back Joachim Andersen is also of long-term interest to Spurs, who in the past have tried to signal the player in 2021 to his time at Lyon.
However, Palace will most likely demand fees of more than £50 million for the Dane this summer, while an assessment has also been placed over Marc Guehi’s head.
Max Kilman also attracted fans at Tottenham this summer but is expected to do so with Wolves after Napoli failed in their bid to sign the former Maidenhead United star.