Why Spurs have promised to re-sign £35m De Zerbi star Rafael Leao

When Roberto De Zerbi walked through the door at Tottenham Hotspur, the Italian had just seven games to try and repair the damage in north London.

The relegation-threatened side have gone on to lose just two of their remaining games, struggling for vital points against Brighton and Leeds United, while seeing off Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton.

Hero Joao Palhinha's surprise last-day goal to survive, scoring a late winner at Molineux, saw the Portuguese join the ranks as the club's second-highest scorer with five Premier League goals.

That record speaks volumes for the plight of Spurs' top players, an area of ​​the pitch that will be strengthened this summer under De Zerbi's watch. Rafael Leao, who?

The latest in Spurs' interest in Rafael Leao

All of N17's signings so far this summer have come from the Premier League, although the ENIC regime could end that trend by prying Leao away from the San Siro in the coming weeks.

Potentially sidelined by new AC Milan boss Ruben Amorim, the Portuguese speedster seems to need a fresh start though, as he's set to move to Italy in 2019.

With just two years left on his current contract, now may be the right time for Milan to cash in, with the 27-year-old starting 23 Serie A games last season.

By all accounts, he could now join former team-mate Sandro Tonali in north London, having made it clear he is 'ready to say yes' to a move to Spurs in the summer.

It is believed that the former Lille man is keen to play in the Premier League, and Tottenham appear to be at the front of the queue for his signature as things stand.

In terms of price tag, Leao would cost in the region of £51m, making this an achievable target as De Zerbi and co look to strengthen the left and centre.

Indeed, strengthening the forward line, after the signings of Mateus Fernandes and Tonali, now seems to be the priority.

Spurs have made an offer to re-sign the £35m forward

It feels like Spurs have paid the price for their bad luck since last summer, missing out on a string of strikers, namely Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze and Bryan Mbeumo.

Thomas Frank also admitted he was keen to sign Antoine Semenyo as well, although the Ghanaian striker ended up joining Manchester City, finishing the campaign with 17 goals in the top flight.

Considering Richarlison is the only player at the club to break double figures in both goals and total goal involvement in the league, it's clear why reinforcements are needed.

However, one move that could surprise is a reunion with Randal Kolo Muani, with Italian outlet Tuttosport reporting that the Frenchman 'could return to Tottenham'.

De Zerbi does not appear to be against the idea, as Spurs have been named among the clubs believed to have made a bid for the 27-year-old, as well as German clubs.

Juventus are also in trouble for a €40m (£35m) player, and there is a market for the versatile striker despite his woes in north London.

Now, of course, 2025/26 didn't go to plan for Kolo Muani in a Tottenham shirt, his only league goal coming in the North London Derby defeat earlier this year.

He has netted four times in just nine Champions League outings, however, with two coming against his parent club, Paris Saint-Germain.

He also started six of De Zerbi's seven games in charge, suggesting that while options were undoubtedly limited in attack, the former Nantes man was backed by his manager.

It was not a fruitful loan spell, although Kolo Muani enjoyed his time in Serie A on loan from Juve until 2025 earlier, scoring ten goals in just 22 appearances in Turin.

Like Leao, the in-demand marquee looked like a minority against Serie A defences, his pace and power difficult to contain, whether from the right, left or in the ninth role.

Give him space at the back, like Leao, and the Frenchman can kill him, with that time in Italy seeing him score eight goals from 13 league starts, boasting a goal conversion rate of 31%. He also averaged 1.1 per game in both key passes and successful dribbles.

In comparison, in that same season Leao also scored eight goals in Serie A at Milan, and his average in both of these last metrics was ahead at 1.7, respectively.

The pair also showed glimpses of what they can do at the international level, even though they have never been top players, with Kolo Muani netting against Morocco in the 2022 World Cup semi-final, despite not being there. that chance at the next show.

In 2026, Kolo Muani did not make it, although Leao has been a bright spark in Portugal in recent weeks, scoring one against Uzbekistan, while proving a handful from the bench down the left.

Neither man has that real level of consistency, but as with Leao, there could be an explosive player there for De Zerbi to develop next season.

Let's face it, Spurs didn't see anywhere near Kolo Muani's best in last season's tumultuous campaign, however under more stable conditions, maybe it would be second time lucky.