Tottenham want to sign Barcelona "leader" who could now leave for just £17m

Tottenham Hotspur want to sign a “leader” from Barcelona this summer, and he could be allowed to leave the Camp Nou for as little as £17 million.

Spurs targeting new centre-back signing before next season

The Lilywhites learned the hard way that they need reinforcements at centre-half this summer, given the plethora of injuries which have ravaged Ange Postecoglou’s defence throughout 2024/2025.

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The Lilywhites are battling their fierce rivals.

Tottenham attempted to resolve the issue in January by signing Kevin Danso on loan with an obligation to buy, only for the Austria defender to be sidelined alongside Radu Dragusin, and this followed long-term absences for Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

Archie Gray was forced to play as a makeshift centre-back at periods, which the teenager handled very well, but Spurs will be extremely keen to avoid being left so short of options for the 2025/2026 season.

Romero is also believed to be pushing for an exit from Tottenham this summer, amid interest from both Atlético and Real Madrid, so the north Londoners may end up having to sign a replacement for the Argentine.

According to reliable journalist David Ornstein, Tottenham have reached out to Dean Huijsen’s representatives in the last week, but Arsenal, Chelsea and other elite Premier League sides are after the Spaniard with a £50 million release clause attached to his contract.

Huijsen is also rumoured to favour a move to Real Madrid, so Spurs could be up against it in the race for Huijsen, while other reports believe Atalanta star Isak Hien is emerging as an alternative defensive target for Tottenham.

In any case, it appears a new centre-half is firmly on the agenda for chairman Daniel Levy and co.

Tottenham want to sign Barcelona defender Eric Garcia

According to reports in Spain, a potentially golden opportunity to reinforce their defensive ranks comes in the form of Barcelona and former Man City man Eric Garcia.

The 24-year-old is out of contract in the summer of 2026, meaning he could be available for a cut-price fee in the next transfer window, which some media sources believe to be around £17 million.

His experience at the top level, despite being at such a young age, could be invaluable to Tottenham – and his reputation as a capable ball-playing defender means that Garcia could be an ideal fit at a very reasonable price.

Tottenham want to sign Garcia this summer, and it is believed the Catalans are now prepared to sell, so this could be an intriguing one to watch as we fast approach the window.

“Eric is a very intelligent boy – more than a boy,” said City director of football Txiki Begiristain, during Garcia’s time at Eastlands, before he made the switch to Barca in 2021 as a free agent. “He is a good character, a solid leader.”