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Tottenham Hotspur works on deal to sign Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo
Spurs are reportedly in negotiations for the centre-back as their summer spending spree pushes past £300 million
Tottenham Hotspur are negotiating a deal to sign Tosin Adarabioyo from Chelsea, adding yet another piece to what has been one of the most aggressive squad rebuilds in Premier League history.
The 28-year-old centre-back, who stands at 6 ft 6 in, would join a Spurs side that has already spent north of £300 million this summer under new head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
A summer of reinvention at Tottenham
The headline acquisition has been Sandro Tonali, signed from Newcastle for a club-record fee of around £100 million. Mateus Fernandes arrived from West Ham for approximately £85 million. Savinho has also been brought in as part of the overhaul.
On the defensive side, Spurs have already added Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi to shore up a back line that clearly needed reinforcement. Adding Adarabioyo would give De Zerbi another option at centre-back.
What Adarabioyo brings to the table
Adarabioyo joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Fulham in June 2024. He has racked up 38 Premier League appearances across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons at Stamford Bridge.
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Born in London on September 24, 1997, Adarabioyo came through Manchester City’s academy before spells at West Brom and Fulham established him as a reliable Premier League centre-back.
Spurs are not the only club reportedly interested. Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Benfica have all been linked with Adarabioyo as the transfer window winds toward its September 1 deadline.
The bigger picture for Spurs
Tottenham’s spending spree is not happening in a vacuum. The club endured a genuinely alarming period that brought talk of relegation uncomfortably close to reality. Bringing in De Zerbi, who built one of the most aesthetically pleasing sides in England during his time at Brighton, was the first signal that ambition was back on the menu.
For Chelsea, letting Adarabioyo leave would represent pure profit on the balance sheet, having acquired him on a free transfer before generating a fee on his sale.
The Premier League transfer window closes on September 1, which gives both clubs a narrow window to finalize terms.