Tottenham to battle Barcelona for Ballon d’Or nominee

Soccer Football – Serie A – Napoli v Inter Milan – Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy – October 25, 2025 Napoli's Scott McTominay during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

Tottenham are keen on signing Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay. The Scotland international has enjoyed a career revival since joining Napoli from Manchester United in the summer of 2024.

After climbing through the youth ranks at United, McTominay made his first team debut in 2017 and went on to make 255 appearances for the club. He scored 29 goals and added eight assists and looked to be a future anchor of the side.

In the 2023/2024 season however, he struggled to impress then new manager Erik ten Hag who selected McTominay for just 18 starts in the Premier League. The player was then sold to Napoli the following summer for an initial fee of £21m.

He has gone from strength to strength at the Italian giants, helping the club win their second Scudetto title in as many years in 2024/2025 and earning an 18th place finish in the 2025 Men’s Ballon d’Or rankings. He has scored four goals and provided one assist in 10 appearances (across all competitions) so far this season as Napoli sit 1st in the Serie A table.

TeamTalk has reported that Tottenham are now among the clubs interested in signing McTominay but could face competition from Barcelona.

McTominay is now a key man for Napoli manager Antonio Conte, and any approach for the player will be difficult. A move is unlikely in January as Napoli fight to retain their Serie A title as well as progress in the Champions League, but a summer of 2026 bid has been mooted.

Tottenham are on the market for an energetic box-to-box midfielder, while Barcelona has reportedly placed McTominay a three-man midfield shortlist alongside Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana and an internal La Masia graduate.

Newcastle is another club linked with interest in the player, with manager Eddie Howe a long term admirer.

Nadji is a football writer with over 10 years of experience covering the Premier League. His work has been featured on Football Fancast, Arsenal-Mania, and Arsenal.com, where he has built a reputation for delivering sharp analysis, engaging storytelling, and in-depth coverage of the game.