Tottenham Hotspur have now secured Chelsea target Xavi Simons, leaving Blues fans to rue a missed opportunity.
The most exciting transfer story at Stamford Bridge this summer, took a turn for the worse for Chelsea fans as Dutch superstar Xavi Simons, looks to be heading to the White of North London. The Europa League champions failed to complete the signing of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace and therefore were left with no option but to target the young attacking midfielder from Leipzig. After the confirmed departure of club legend Son Heung-Min, Spurs seeked a fitting replacement as they approach their highly anticipated Champions League and Premier league campaigns.
Simons to Chelsea rumours
The 22 year old was linked to a transfer to West London in July this year as Chelsea aimed to bolster their attacking threat. It was highly anticipated that the Blues would focus on outgoings for players, to allow room for finalising a deal for Simons. However, despite the interest there were no rumours of any official bid from Chelsea to RB Leipzig for the player. Personal terms were reportedly agreed between Simons and Chelsea, but the Blues prioritised outgoings before preparing an official bid.
🚨🔵 Chelsea always had the exits as priority before getting Xavi Simons deal done, while talks with RB Leipzig remain advanced.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 4, 2025
Broja, João Félix, Ugochukwu, Dewsbury-Hall, Guiu (loan), more to follow soon as direction is clear.
Xavi made clear to Leipzig that he wants #CFC. pic.twitter.com/McuNIVEdTx
Why Simons?
The 22 year old cemented his place in Leipzig and outshined his competition, raising his profile across Europe. Simons surged last season with 11 goals and 8 assists across all competitions for the German side. In the 23/24 season, Xavi had 25 G/A in 43 matches for Leipzig, showing his class in the Champions League, amongst other competitions such as the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal. During this time Simons primarily played as a left winger and a central attacking midfielder.
Chelsea suffered a loss in their attacking options last season as 24 year old winger Mykhailo Mudryk was suspended from playing due to an ongoing investigation for doping. In Maresca's system, the Ukranian typically played on the left wing, utilising his blistering speed and twinkling footwork. His suspension left the Blues with a temporary replacement in Jadon Sancho, however after his loan spell came to an end, the Blues were left with a hole to fill on the left hand side of their attack.
🚨 The Athletic has been told by multiple sources, who wish to remain anonymous, that Mudryk tested positive for meldonium following international duty with Ukraine in November.
— CFC-Blues (@CFCBlues_com) December 17, 2024
Meldonium is an anti-ischemia medication, which, according to USADA is typically used clinically to… pic.twitter.com/V5xW11fJ6P
In the hunt for a left winger, Xavi Simons was seen as the perfect signing for Chelsea to recover from the loss of Mudryk. Furthermore, with his ability to play in an attacking midfield role, it was an additional advantage for Maresca as there was potential to rotate Cole Palmer to the right, Xavi through the middle and with Gittens over on the left wing. Chelsea are renowned for signing young stars across Europe, therefore a move for one of the hottest talents in Germany almost seemed inevitable.
How the deal slipped away
As previously mentioned, Chelsea aimed to focus on the departure of multiple players before securing the deal for Simons. During this time, Simons reportedly rejected approaches from the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City as he was fully focused on the move to West London. However, this took much longer than many fans and perhaps Simons himself expected. It was understood that Chelsea are securing the sale of Christopher Nkunku before finalising the Simons deal.
In the meantime, Spurs saw this as an opportunity to make contact with RB Leipzig to enquire for Simons to widen their transfer options. Simons travelled to London to finalise his future whether it was towards West London or North but he was certain that it would be confirmed by Friday this week.
🚨 Xavi Simons has arrived in London with his camp in order to clarify future move soon, authorized by Leipzig.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 28, 2025
Tottenham are in club to club talks with Leipzig, official contact made today.
Chelsea remain in talks with Leipzig as they had all ready on player side since July. pic.twitter.com/iMShYR8ayo
Following Nkunku's departure to Ac Milan, Chelsea secured a deal for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, with anticipation of finalising the Xavi Simons deal soon after. However, the delay in a bid to Leipzig allowed Spurs to swoop in and make an official bid of around €60 million, in the early hours of Friday morning. Simons understood that the Blues wanted to prioritise Garnacho ahead of him and therefore opened talks with Tottenham over a permanent transfer to them instead.
Simons to Spurs confirmed
On Friday morning, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that a deal was in place for Xavi Simons to transfer over to Tottenham Hotspur for a fixed deal €60 million. The contract signed by Simons is understood to be until 2030 with an optional 2 years. The Dutch completed his medical this morning, with the official announcement at 5pm BST.
