Tottenham transfer news: £75m attacker signing 'not ruled out' after Roberto De Zerbi recommendation

Tottenham Hotspur have not completely ruled out activating Mykhaylo Mudryk's £75m option to buy next summer, according to a report.

The Ukraine international arrived on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day, reuniting with Roberto De Zerbi following their time together at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Mudryk had previously earned pre-season minutes under Xabi Alonso, nearly two years on from his provisional doping ban towards the end of 2024, as he slowly regained match fitness.

The attacker then made his first competitive appearance for 646 days in Saturday's goalless draw with Nottingham Forest, coming on as a late replacement for Mathys Tel at the City Ground.

Mudryk failed to end Tottenham's goal drought in the 2026-27 Premier League season so far, though, and he was singled out by De Zerbi as one of two Spurs players who make "too many wrong decisions" after the game.

Tottenham 'have not ruled out' £75m Mykhaylo Mudryk deal

The Tottenham boss also admitted that the 25-year-old needs more time to get fully back up to speed, and he is "not ready" to complete a full 90 minutes just yet.

Nevertheless, Football Insider claims that Spurs could still exercise their right to keep Mudryk in North London if the Ukrainian performs up to expectations for the remainder of the season.

Mudryk was a signing personally recommended by De Zerbi, who previously referred to the winger as his "son" after he managed 29 goal involvements in 44 matches for Shakhtar Donetsk.

Mudryk's stellar form in his homeland earned him a big-money move to Chelsea for an initial £62m - potentially rising to £88.5m - in January 2023, when the Blues pipped Arsenal to the signing of the attacker.

Mudryk managed 10 goals and 11 assists in 73 Chelsea appearances before being sanctioned for a positive doping test, which he was then given a four-year ban for in April of this year - a punishment he appealed.

However, all charges against the 25-year-old were dropped in late July, as Chelsea stated that his test would not have come back positive had the sample been analysed under 2026 technical requirements.

How did Mykhaylo Mudryk perform on Tottenham debut?

Mudryk was only given 16 minutes to make an impact against Nottingham Forest, and he unsurprisingly saw little of the ball during his Tottenham debut.

The winger's raw pace and willingness to progress play forward was evident, though, as he made five sprints, drew one foul and completed one progressive carry at the City Ground.

Mudryk is expected to be on the bench again when Tottenham host Everton in next Saturday's 5.30pm kickoff, which comes three days before an EFL Cup third-round encounter at Liverpool.