Tottenham Hotspur have endured two painful seasons locked in relegation battles, a far cry from the days of Gareth Bale and Heung-min Son terrorising defences.
Things appear to be shifting under Roberto De Zerbi, with Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali already arriving in north London for a combined £185m.
The focus now turns to improving their forward line, with De Zerbi’s side short of genuine quality and creativity in the wide areas.
Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi is understood to be a primary target, though the 19-year-old is valued at around £90m, making any deal complicated.
Kroupi scored 13 Premier League goals last season at just 19 years old and can play up top, out wide, or as a second striker, offering enormous versatility.
AC Milan’s Rafael Leao represents another avenue, with talks reportedly held with the player’s camp and the Portuguese winger keen to leave the San Siro.
Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo has also been discussed, though his importance at Anfield makes a deal difficult, particularly given he bagged 18 goals in all competitions as Liverpool won the Premier League in 2024/25.
Manchester City’s Savinho and Omar Marmoush have been floated as further options, though both are considered less convincing choices than the more established Leao and Gakpo.
The need for reinforcements is underlined by last season’s scoring record, with Richarlison finishing as top scorer on just 11 Premier League goals, followed by defenders Joao Palhinha, Micky van de Ven, and Cristian Romero.
Leao has averaged 13 goals per season over the last five years, while Gakpo brings similar attacking threat from wide areas, making both hugely attractive targets for De Zerbi.
However, Spurs may already possess a player who mirrors those qualities, in the form of 18-year-old academy product Mikey Moore.
Scout Jacek Kulig and James Maddison have both drawn comparisons between Moore and a Brazilian icon, with Kulig labelling him “the English Neymar” for his direct, dynamic style.
Moore spent last season on loan at Rangers, where he scored seven goals and registered four assists in the Scottish Premiership, demonstrating real end product at a competitive level.
His dribbling numbers are particularly striking, as Moore ranked among the finest nine percent of positionally similar players in the Scottish Premiership for successful dribbles per 90 minutes, averaging 2.12.
To put that figure in perspective, Leao managed just 1.26 successful dribbles per 90 minutes in the same metric, while Gakpo recorded just 1.11.
Moore’s youth record also suggests a player who understands how to find the net, having scored 19 goals in 24 games for the Spurs under-18 side.
He made 19 appearances for the first team in 2024/25, contributing one goal and two assists, modest numbers that nevertheless had scouts and teammates taking notice.
Like Leao and Gakpo, Moore is comfortable playing as an out-and-out winger or as a striker, offering De Zerbi tactical flexibility at an affordable cost.
The expectation is that Moore will head out on loan again for 2026/27, but should De Zerbi choose to keep him in the fold, he could help ease the financial pressure of pursuing big-money wide targets.
With Leao and Gakpo likely to command enormous fees and wages, Moore’s emergence at least gives Spurs a genuine alternative already on the books at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.