Spurs are ready to sign the £56m star

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi wants to strengthen his options in the middle of the park before the end of the summer transfer window.

West Ham United star Mateus Fernandes is one of the central midfielders on the club’s radar, after the Hammers were relegated from the Premier League last season.

The Lilywhites have reportedly agreed personal terms with the Portugal star, but now have to agree a financial deal with the Championship side’s £85m talent.

Fernandes is not the only midfielder being chased by a Premier League club, however, as they are said to be interested in Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali.

Fabrizio Romano has recently said that there is an agreement for Spurs to bring the Italian player to North London to add to De Zerbi who plays in the midfield next season.

Tottenham are preparing to advance to the Premier League

Tonali will come in as a playmaking midfielder who doesn’t offer much of a threat in front of goal, having failed to score in the top flight last season, but he is a brilliant passer and solid in his performances, having won 55% of his physical battles against the Magpies.

De Zerbi, however, already has a few similar types of midfielders who don’t offer much at the other end of the pitch, in Conor Gallagher, Pape Matar Sarr, and Rodrigo Bentancur.

That’s why their latest reported target, a striker from one of their Premier League rivals, could come as a better player than Fernandes and Tonali.

According to reports in Italy, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to sign Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush in the summer transfer window.

Spurs are said to be keen on the Egyptian and are preparing to make a bid to sign him in the coming days, as they look to add to their attack.

De Zerbi is said to be a big fan of the former Eintracht Frankfurt side and would like to bring the striker to North London before the end of the transfer window.

Earlier this summer, it was reported elsewhere that City wanted up to £56m for the striker, who is also wanted by Spanish giants Barcelona.

What Omar Marmoush will bring to Tottenham Hotspur

As mentioned above, Fernandes and Tonali would be better versions of what De Zerbi already has in his squad at Spurs, playing midfielders who can break up play and start attacks.

Tottenham, however, do not have strikers capable of scoring goals and helping them emerge as one of the best strikers in the Premier League.

In the 2025/26 campaign, Richarlison was the only player in the club to hit double figures for combined goals and assists in the top-flight, with 11 goals and four assists.

The consistency and quality of De Zerbi’s attackers is a cause for concern ahead of the upcoming term, which is why Marmoush would be a great addition to the squad.

Last season, the 27-year-old striker, described as a “maverick” by scout Ben Mattinson, produced eight goals and three assists in just 1,438 minutes for City, which equates to a goal every 130 minutes.

His best campaign, however, was when he played regularly for Frankfurt and City in the 2024/25 campaign, scoring 28 goals and providing 14 assists in 3,635 minutes.

He averaged a goal every 87 minutes in all competitions for the two clubs during that time, and notched 22 goals and nine assists in 33 games in the Premier League and Bundesliga combined.

Tonali and Fernandes combined for three goals and six assists in the Premier League for Newcastle and West Ham last season and are unlikely to change the game for Spurs at the other end of the pitch.

Marmoush, however, has the quality to be an incredibly effective attacking force at the highest level, and has proven himself in the Bundesliga and Premier League, but found game time hard to come by last season due to competition with Erling Haaland for a place.

Spurs, now, could take advantage of his poor situation at the Etihad to bring in a real difference maker who can win the club points with goals and assists throughout the week, making him a more powerful signing than Fernandes or De Zerbi’s Tonali.