Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly missed out on a summer target who has been described as a “complete, dominant and elegant centre-back”.
Spurs have been fairly busy on the transfer front this summer, with Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai all joining the club permanently.
Despite Tottenham appearing well-stocked at centre-back, links with other defenders persist, not to mention Ashley Phillips has gone out on loan at Stoke City again.
Burnley’s Maxime Esteve is one of the players Spurs are said to have approached, but according to a report, they haven’t succeeded in their mission.
Maxime Esteve pens Burnley contract extension
Earlier in July, French outlet L’Equipe reported that Tottenham had resumed talks with Burnley over Esteve, a player they also tried to sign in January.
At the time, Spurs reportedly made an offer of about £20million, while Burnley demanded in excess of £30million.
However, the same outlet has now reported that Esteve has signed a contract extension with the newly-promoted Premier League side.
L’Equipe reports that, despite being courted by the likes of Tottenham and Crystal Palace, Esteve has decided to commit his future to the club.
That said, Burnley have refused to sanction any departure this summer, the report added.
Why Maxime Esteve is in such high demand
Esteve was a regular in Burnley’s starting XI last season, starting every one of their 46 Championship games en route to promotion via second place.
The 23-year-old was part of the back line with the best defensive record in history, conceding just 16 goals from 46 matches, an average of 0.35 per game.
At just 23 years of age, Esteve has his whole career ahead of him and, while Tottenham will be disappointed with having missed out on him, they’ll surely keep tabs on him next season.
After all, if Esteve takes his amazing Championship form into the Premier League, then there will be even more suitors over the next two transfer windows – particularly if Burnley don’t stay up.