Tottenham reach decision on mega January striker signing as Kulusevski plan mapped out

A fresh report has revealed whether Tottenham Hotspur are ready to break the bank again in January, given the glaring need to add a top-level striker to Roberto De Zerbi’s starting XI, while Dejan Kulusevski’s long-term future is also in the news.

The north London club splashed out in excess of £300million on new signings to upgrade De Zerbi’s squad over the summer, although that has yet to bear fruit as winless Spurs sit bottom of the Premier League after five games.

A large part of the spending came on improving the defence and midfield, with the late deals for Savio, Omar Marsmoush and Mykhailo Mudryk expected to give the attack a shot in the arm.

However, Tottenham notched their first two goals of the campaign in the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa before the international break and have been wasteful in the final third.

Marmoush has been played through the middle and out wide, while Dominic Solanke has started the last two Premier League games in the No.9 position but produced nothing.

And with Richarlison jettisoned to the stands by De Zerbi, there has been plenty of speculation over Spurs spending big again for an elite striker in the winter window.

Football Insider‘s Pete O’Rourke reports that the club have no plans for another ‘big-money’ window, and will instead focus on ‘getting value for money from cost-effective targets instead’.

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Tottenham to temper transfer business in January

The report adds that the club’s hierarchy are planning to rectify the mistakes they made in the summer when it comes to failing to strengthen the overall squad, with right-back and striker the two positions that stick out the most, along with potentially bringing in another right-sided central defender for balance.

As TEAMtalk revealed earlier this month, both Tottenham and Aston Villa have Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-Jae in their sights for a January swoop.

Bayern are willing to offload the South Korea international, who has become surplus to requirements under Vincent Kompany, despite being under contract for two more years.

In terms of adding another full-back, Spurs remain big fans of Nottingham Forest star Neco Williams, who is nominally a left-back but can also play on the right.

But it’s that No.9 position where their biggest issues are, with Argentine free agent Mauro Icardi recently linked with a move to north London.

However, the FI report adds that any big-money deals for a new striker are likely to be out of reach for Tottenham in January, when it’s traditionally hard to sign big names anyway.

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Kulusevski playing for Tottenham future

There is, however, better news on the future of Dejan Kulusevski, as the Swede closes in on a playing return, more than 500 days since his last appearance for the club.

It’s claimed that Spurs are ‘more than happy’ to discuss a new contract with the attacker, if he can prove his fitness over the coming months.

Kulusevski hasn’t played for Tottenham since May 2025 due to a serious knee injury, but has been back in full training for a number of weeks and is primed for a place on the bench sooner rather than later.

The Sweden international is currently under contract until 2028 and Spurs’ medical team, which hasn’t had good press for a number of seasons now, are fully aware they need to be careful with his return, in order to avoid him breaking down again.

The former Juventus man has been a massive miss over the past 18 months, having notched 21 goal involvements during the 2024/25 campaign.

His ability to play on the right flank or in a No.10 role would be hugely beneficial to a Tottenham side that has struggled for creativity in the absence of James Maddison and Xavi Simons for some time.