Tottenham Hotspur are close to completing the signing of Dutch international Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in a deal worth €60 million (£51.8m).
The 22-year-old has arrived in England and is understood to have already completed his medical. Sources confirmed that the clubs have reached an agreement in principle, with only the final details of the package to be resolved in the coming hours.
Simons, who has 28 caps for the Netherlands, would become Spurs’ third major signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Joao Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus.
Chelsea had also held talks with Leipzig over Simons earlier in the summer but turned their attention to Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, with a £40m deal now close.
For Spurs, the capture of Simons represents a breakthrough. The north London club had seen moves for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White fall through, while Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze chose to join Arsenal instead.
Simons’ journey to this point has been far from straightforward. A graduate of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, he was tipped for stardom as a child. By the age of 14, he already had a million Instagram followers, a Nike contract, and appearances in adverts alongside Neymar and Ronaldinho.
Named after Barcelona legend Xavi Hernández, he was widely regarded as one of Europe’s brightest young prospects. But in 2019, after failing to agree terms with Barcelona, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain.
His time in Paris was difficult. Despite making his debut at 17, Simons featured only 11 times in two seasons. “I needed to play football every week,” he later said in an interview about leaving PSG.
A loan move to PSV Eindhoven in 2022 reignited his career, and from there he joined Leipzig. In Germany, he flourished, scoring 22 goals and providing 24 assists across 78 matches. His versatility — able to play on either wing or in a central role — made him one of the Bundesliga’s standout performers.
If the deal is finalised, Simons will follow Benjamin Sesko as the second major Leipzig player to move to the Premier League this summer. Sesko signed for Manchester United in June for £73.7m.
For Tottenham, the signing is a clear statement of intent under new head coach Thomas Frank, who has been keen to add attacking quality to a squad that fell short last season.
At just 22, Simons is still developing, but with experience at Barcelona, PSG, PSV, and Leipzig — and 28 international appearances — Spurs will believe they are getting a player ready to make an immediate impact in the Premier League.
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