Tottenham gifted chance to sign star 10x below monster release clause

Marcos Senesi has become the latest player to sign up for Tottenham’s rebuild under Roberto De Zerbi, and he may not be the last Argentine defender to join this summer.

Spurs reinforcing De Zerbi’s defence

Spurs announced the signing of Senesi on a free transfer on Wednesday after he left Bournemouth at the end of the 2025-26 season following the expiration of his contract with the south coast club.

Centre-back Senesi joined Bournemouth in 2022 from Feyenoord and played 128 times, but elected against a new deal with the Cherries and instead has moved to north London to continue his career at Tottenham with De Zerbi.

Senesi said: “It’s a very special feeling to be a Tottenham Hotspur player.

“From the first moment, the club has shown why they want me and how much they want me to be a part of what they are building. It’s exciting and something I can’t wait to be involved in.”

De Zerbi masterminded Spurs’ successful relegation battle with an 11-point haul during seven tense matches, but immediately urged the club to learn lessons and an overhaul in defence was quickly pinpointed as a key area of investment.

Tottenham have conceded 122 goals across the last two Premier League seasons where they have finished 17th in back-to-back campaigns and the addition of ball-playing defender Senesi follows left-back Andy Robertson’s arrival on a free transfer.

De Zerbi said: “Marcos’ experience, quality on the ball, and competitive edge will strengthen us defensively, as well as giving us flexibility in formation.

“He’s comfortable playing in a possession-based team, reads the game very well and has the personality to thrive in a demanding environment.

“I also love his mentality and desire to keep improving and I’m looking forward to working with him and seeing the big contribution he can make to the team.”

Earlier on Wednesday it was announced Ben Davies had signed a new 12-month deal at Tottenham to extend his stay at the club into a 13th season, with De Zerbi keen to keep defensive depth amid uncertainty surrounding the futures of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence.

Tottenham gifted chance to sign defender at huge discount

According to reports in Argentina, via Sport WitnessTottenham are interested in a deal for River Plater centre-back Lautaro Rivero.

Rivero has a ‘growing list of admirers’ and is described as an extremely physical player but also a ‘modern, ball-playing centre-back’ with elite technical ability.

River inserted a €100m (£86.5m) release clause into his contract earlier this year, but Tottenham have now been boosted by the news they will accept a much lower fee in the region of €7m-€10m (£6m-£8.7m), with the initial figure not seriously considered to be his market value.

What’s more, despite interest from Mexican side Tigres, sources close to the player believe he would prefer a move to Europe, gifting Tottenham an opportunity to land a high-potential player for a relatively cheap fee in today’s world of inflated Premier League transfers.

Rivero is already a senior Argentina international and played 22 times for River this season, scoring once.