Tottenham accelerate huge signing after surgery rules starter out for three months

Tottenham will lose Rodrigo Bentancur for around three months after determining his hamstring injury requires surgery, and Spurs are now ramping up efforts to sign a readymade and impactful central midfielder.

Bentancur, 28, has been a regular starter in Thomas Frank’s ever-changing midfield this season. Very little seems to go right for the struggling Spurs boss right now and against Bournemouth last week, Bentancur picked up a hamstring issue late in the contest.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have now determined the injury’s severity and it’s worst-case scenario.

Taking to X, Romano stated Bentancur will now undergo surgery to repair the problem, thus ruling him out for roughly three months.

“Rodrigo Bentancur will be out for three months as he needs surgery, back before the end of the season,” stated the reporter.

Losing the Uruguayan is a big blow for Frank and Spurs, and according to Romano, the club will now accelerate plans to sign a new central midfielder.

He continued: “Tottenham now to explore midfielders market in January.”

Romano did not name names, though TEAMtalk was informed of one player Spurs set their sights on over the past 48 hours and in the wake of Bentancur suffering his hamstring injury.

Transfer insider, Dean Jones, exclusively told us on Sunday that Tottenham are exploring a move for Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher.

The all-action midfielder has been on Spurs’ radar dating back to Ange Postecoglou’s time in charge, and he remains a key target in the present too.

Atleti are willing to offload Gallagher this month if their demands are met. They want a permanent sale or a loan that contains an obligation to buy, and Aston Villa at the behest of Unai Emery thundered into the race last week.

But according to Jones, Tottenham are well aware it’s now or never for Gallagher amid Villa ramping up their own pursuit and closing on a club-to-club agreement. Bentancur’s lay-off will only serve to increase their desire to sign the 25-year-old.

Atleti signed Gallagher for £34m in the summer of 2024. The LaLiga side would ideally like to break even on that figure, though according to Ben Jacobs, they could accept a bid as low as £25m.

Another of our transfer correspondents, Graeme Bailey, has been informed Gallagher is open to returning to England this month.

Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace is on Spurs’ radar and ‘discreet enquiries’ into his signing have been made.

However, a move for Wharton looks extremely ambitious. It’s the same story regarding Carlos Baleba, who Spurs will struggle to out-gun Manchester United for when the time comes for the midfield destroyer to leave Brighton.

From further afield, Parma’s Mandela Keita has been scouted in recent weeks , and Sporting CP’s Morten Hjulmand is admired.

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Latest Tottenham news – Signing finalised TODAY / Paratici, Tel, Frank…

In other news, Tottenham will wrap up a fully agreed signing in a problem position later today, though that might not be the only move made.

Fabio Paratici – Tottenham’s co-sporting director – will leave the club at the end of the January window. Paratici is expected to return to Italy where he’ll join Fiorentina.

Elsewhere, Tottenham have told Mathys Tel that they currently have no plans to let him leave the club this month, though there are circumstances in which that could change, TEAMtalk understands, while a loan bid for a second Spurs star has also been rejected.

Finally, Thomas Frank is coming under increasing pressure at Spurs and one observer believes it’ll all implode if one thing happens, while TEAMtalk have been provided with anexclusive update on the state of play in north London.