TOTTENHAM SPURS NOW FAVOURITES AFTER €30M BID REVEALED
Tottenham and Aston Villa are leading the chase for Vasco da Gama's star forward Rayan. The Brazilian club is preparing for a sale or a new contract to fend off interest from the Premier League clubs.
Rayan, Vasco da Gama's highly regarded forward, is still firmly in the sights of Tottenham and Aston Villa. According to recent sources from Brazil, the Rio de Janeiro club is getting ready for both his possible exit and the prospect of extending his contract.
At São Januário, the 19-year-old's future has taken centre stage, according to the Portuguese publication O Dia. The board now believes it is more likely that he will go before the year is over. They have already outlined the deal's financial structure.
For Tottenham, Aston Villa, and others, that makes it obvious.
Although sources say a transfer could feasibly be completed around €20 million (£17.1 million) with an additional €5 million (£4.3 million) in performance-related bonuses, Vasco is prepared to begin negotiations for offers starting at €30 million (£25.7 million).
The team has started preparing for the upcoming season without Rayan after quietly acknowledging that his attendance in 2026 is unlikely.
But the narrative has taken a fresh turn thanks to Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola. He says Pedrinho, the president of Vasco, is negotiating Rayan's new contract. months following his prior April extension.
The goal is to extend the agreement past December 2026 so the player will not be able to sign a pre-contract starting in July of the following year. Additionally, Vasco plans to increase his release clause from €40 million to €50–60 million. With his current monthly salary of almost €85,000, they would put him among the club's greatest earners.
The player is being "re-shielded" in response to mounting pressure from Europe. Tottenham dispatched scouts to Brazil early this year and has been keeping a close eye on him for months. According to reports, they are now the front-runners to sign the striker.
Nicola claims that the London team is prepared to pay up to €30 million to sign him, which would be in line with Vasco's desired price range. Aston Villa is a contender as well.
The fact that other teams like Barcelona, Chelsea, Brighton, Porto, Fiorentina, Zenit, and even Nottingham Forest have been brought up at various points shows how widespread the desire has grown.
Vasco is now faced with a difficult choice between two approaches. Before December, they might take advantage of Rayan's skyrocketing market worth or act swiftly to extend and solidify their hold over his future.
In any case, the teen's ascent has made him one of South America's most sought-after athletes. At the centre of the chase are Tottenham and Aston Villa.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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