Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has been dealt a recruitment blow, following news about a key attacking target.
Spurs are already no stranger to transfer mishaps this summer, and supporters will remember their famously botched move for Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White all too well.
The 25-year-old, at one stage, was all set to undergo his medical at Hotspur Way ahead of a £60 million move, but Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis put a grinding halt to the transfer after believing Spurs made an illegal approach.
What followed was weeks of back and forth, an alleged second bid over his £60m release clause and repeated reassurances that Gibbs-White was still keen on a move to north London – only for the England international to pull an out-of-nowhere U-turn (Alasdair Gold).
Gibbs-White penned a club-record £150,000-per-week new deal at the City Ground, announcing the contract on Forest’s media channels with Marinakis looming over his shoulder – ending all hope of Tottenham signing the ex-Wolves star.
Despite how advanced the move was, it shows just how quickly things can change in any moment, and no deal is done until contracts are signed on the dotted line.
Losing out on Gibbs-White was made all the more heartbreaking when James Maddison collapsed to the turf in pre-season with an ACL rupture, with the England international expected to miss a large portion of this season as a result.
Spurs once planned to head into the new season with both Gibbs-White and Maddison at Frank’s disposal, but considering neither are available for the Dane, Tottenham have since intensified talks to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.
Reliable reports suggest that Daniel Levy has reached a verbal agreement for Eze as Palace actively scour the market for a replacement, which may be crucial before Oliver Glasner’s side give their final green light to the deal.
This is somewhat backed up by big-name outlets, like Sky Germany, who report that talks are very advanced.
With Eze on the verge of a move to N17, it is worth noting that Tottenham have also been in talks to sign Man City winger Savinho in a separate deal (Fabrizio Romano).
Tottenham dealt Savinho transfer blow after Man City decision
The 21-year-old, valued at around £60 million, would come in as a direct replacement for club legend Son Heung-min, but according to BBC Sport columnist and La Liga expert Guillem Balague, Tottenham may need to start looking elsewhere.
That is because Man City have now decided that Savinho is set to stay, despite his talks with Tottenham, and other reports suggest that Levy is already weighing up alternatives, like Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche.
Pep Guardiola may well be thrilled by this decision from Sky Blue officials, as the Spaniard is on record calling the Brazil winger an “extraordinary” player, whilst hoping that he remains at the Etihad Stadium for many years.
“I don’t know. If it is Tottenham in that case or another club, if any club wants a player, they should call the club like we do,” Guardiola said in a press conference last week.
“I am only concerned right now that Savinho will be with us for the rest of the season and hopefully many years because at 21, with the potential he has, he is an extraordinary player.
“Otherwise, he would not have played more than 3,000 minutes last season. At the end, the desire of the players is above everything. But then they have to find an agreement with the club. If they don’t take an agreement, the player will be here.”
