De Zerbi Eyes Gabriel Sara as First Spurs Signing with Brazilian Midfielder Receptive to Move

Roberto De Zerbi has wasted little time plotting Tottenham's summer rebuild, with Galatasaray's Gabriel Sara emerging as a leading candidate for his first signing in North London.

The 26-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder represents an intriguing prospect for the Spurs boss, who took the helm on Tuesday following Thomas Frank's sacking and Igor Tudor's ill-fated seven-match spell as interim manager. Tudor's tenure ended by mutual consent on Sunday, leaving Tottenham hovering just one point clear of the relegation zone.

Yet De Zerbi remains undeterred by the immediate crisis, declaring himself "delighted" to accept the challenge ahead. "I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world," the former Brighton and Marseille boss said upon his appointment. "In all my discussions with the Club's leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters. I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it."

De Zerbi's immediate focus remains salvaging Tottenham's season. "Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season. I'm looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that."

Behind the scenes, however, Tottenham are already laying groundwork for next season. Initial contact has been established with representatives close to Sara, with the club positioning themselves as frontrunners for his signature. The former Norwich City midfielder is understood to be receptive to the prospect of returning to English football, seemingly willing to sacrifice Champions League football at Galatasaray for the opportunity to join Spurs.

Galatasaray are demanding approximately €45m for Sara and would prefer to retain him for another campaign. Nevertheless, Tottenham have begun exploring a potential deal, with Sara identified as one of the priority targets in their summer recruitment drive—even as the club battles to avoid the drop.