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Tottenham continue Gift Orban talks but Evan Ferguson enquiry knocked back by Brighton

2023-08-16 17:19
Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to assess striker options on the transfer market following the sale of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, with Gent's Gift Orban and Brighton's Evan Ferguson among their targets.
Tottenham continue Gift Orban talks but Evan Ferguson enquiry knocked back by Brighton

Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to assess striker options on the transfer market following the sale of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, sources have confirmed to 90min.

Kane completed his £86.4m move to the Bundesliga champions over the weekend and made his debut in their surprise 3-0 loss at home to RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup on Saturday evening.

90min reported last week that Spurs representatives had been in touch with 21-year-old Gent striker Gift Orban over a potential move, though at the time this was with a view to keeping Kane beyond the summer.

Sources have told 90min that further talks have taken place with Orban - who has scored a staggering 25 goals in 26 games for Gent, and 44 in 50 since becoming a senior professional - but he is not the only forward on Tottenham's radar.

Spurs recently asked Brighton & Hove Albion about the availability of Republic of Ireland international Evan Ferguson and also touched base with the player's representatives, but he is set to stay at the Amex Stadium this summer and likely the foreseeable future.

Ferguson, who turns 19 later this season, has already scored 11 goals in 30 games for Brighton. He netted his first of the campaign late in their 4-1 win at home to Luton Town on Saturday.

READ MORE FROM 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM

When asked by TalkSPORT at what point they discuss a player's future and whether they could be sold, Brighton CEO Paul Barber said of Ferguson: "In Evan's case, it'll be in at least five years' time!

"Ultimately the technical staff are making the key decisions on where a player is in his development, whether he needs more first team games or needs to go on loan or if we need to trade earlier or later. Ultimately it's going to be a collective decision but it's driven by the technical staff and we're relying on them to make those judgements regarding the players' development.

"There are times when it’s better for us to keep a player in and around our first team group, training with us and getting the odd first team appearance from the bench or in cup games, while on other occasions it's better for them to go out on loan in Europe and others it's better for them to stay in this country and be somewhere where we can keep a far closer eye on them.

"For those decisions, Tony [Bloom, Brighton owner] and I leave them to the technical staff and we only really get involved when we get to the financial decisions and where we go next.

"It's a combined effort, it's a team effort and we're as much of a team off the pitch as we are on it and Tony and I both believe that we've got to work collaboratively and effectively, but ultimately, Roberto De Zerbi is making the big calls when it comes to the playing squad."

While Tottenham are looking to bring in a new forward, they are simultaneously trying to trim their squad ahead of the transfer deadline. 90min reported on Tuesday that Eric Dier could be sold in the coming weeks and has various suitors from across Europe and Saudi Arabia.

LISTEN NOW TO 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS PODCAST

On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth, Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss Liverpool's response to losing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Harry Maguire's Man Utd future and more!

If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

This article was originally published on 90min as Tottenham continue Gift Orban talks but Evan Ferguson enquiry knocked back by Brighton.