Tottenham transfer news: De Zerbi eyes Paris Saint-Germain defender to replace Cristian Romero

Following the departure of Cristian Romero, Tottenham continue to explore further options in central defence.

According to TEAMtalk, Spurs are monitoring the situation of Illia Zabarnyi at Paris Saint-Germain, who could become available this summer.

The London club have not yet submitted a concrete offer, and it remains unclear whether PSG would even be willing to negotiate the sale of the Ukraine international.

Zabarnyi only joined Paris just a year ago, for £57 million. He was given regular game time in domestic competitions and produced strong performances, although his involvement in European competition was less significant.

Tottenham monitoring Illia Zabarnyi

Spurs have already responded to changes in defence this summer with the arrivals of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke. However, that may not mark the end of Roberto De Zerbi's defensive rebuild.

A major advantage for the Ukrainian is his experience of the Premier League. Before his move to PSG, he spent two and a half seasons at Bournemouth, meaning a return to England would not require a lengthy period of adjustment to the pace and physical demands of the competition.

At the same time, at 23, he remains a player with plenty of room for further development.

Any potential transfer does, however, come with one possible complication. Micky van de Ven and summer signing van Hecke are currently considered Tottenham's expected first-choice centre-back pairing.

As a result, Zabarnyi may not automatically secure a starting role, even after a potentially very expensive transfer. Regular game time could well play an important part in the Ukraine international's decision-making.

Should he leave PSG just a year after joining, it is likely that one of his priorities will be a club where he can play regularly.

Chelsea and Liverpool have already strengthened their defence, leaving Tottenham as favourites

Zabarnyi's situation was also monitored by Chelsea and Liverpool over the summer, but both clubs have since brought in other centre-backs.

The Blues signed Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace, while Liverpool loaned Ronald Araujo from Barcelona. Tottenham therefore currently appear to be the most concrete English suitor, although their interest has yet to progress into an official offer.

Any potential deal would also not be straightforward from a financial perspective. PSG invested £57 million in Zabarnyi just a year ago, and the Ukrainian defender remains an important member of the squad.

For now, Spurs are simply monitoring whether an opportunity to negotiate genuinely opens up around him in the closing stages of the transfer window. If it does, Zabarnyi could represent the next step in rebuilding the defence following Romero's departure to Atletico Madrid.