Tottenham Hotspur have decided not to make a concrete move for Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, as per football.london's Alasdair Gold.
The North London giants are after potential cover for Guglielmo Vicario, who has been on the sidelines since November with a fractured right ankle. Fraser Forster, 36, has filled in for the Italian shot-stopper but endured inconsistent form between the sticks.
Johnstone, 31, could be available this month after being dropped by new Wolves manager Vitor Pereira. He's reportedly 'shocked' to be displaced by Jose Sa, who appears to be Pereira's number one.
The Old Gold are monitoring Sunderland's Anthony Patterson should they need to sign a replacement this month. A move to Spurs for Johnstone had seemed possible, but the Lilywhites look to have pulled the plug on pursuing the four-cap England international.
Tottenham Not Expected to Swoop For Johnstone
The North Londoners have other targets in mind
Gold reports that Spurs aren't expected to make their interest in Johnstone concrete despite their need to find cover for Vicario. He was on the club's radar before they signed Forster in July 2022. The English journalist explained: "Update on this. Johnstone was seemingly one of the keepers Spurs had considered again, as they did back before they signed Forster, but it's not going any further than that."
Johnstone started the season as Gary O'Neil's first-choice shot-stopper, although Wolves were in disappointing form. He's appeared seven times in the Premier League this term without a clean sheet and has conceded 17 goals since arriving from Crystal Palace for £10 million.
Burnley's James Trafford could be targeted now that a move for Johnstone isn't in the offing. The 'outstanding' 22-year-old English goalkeeper has top-flight experience and could be available for around £20 million. He's been in superb form this season, keeping 15 clean sheets in 24 games.
Forster is in the twilight of his career, and Ange Postecoglou is understandably cautious about relying on him to continue as Vicario's temporary replacement. There have been concerns about the former Celtic shot-stopper's distribution, while he's kept just one clean sheet in seven league games and conceded 15 goals.