Tottenham will not let sporting director Fabio Paratici walk out and join Fiorentina without compensation.
Paratici is wanted by the club currently bottom of Serie A despite winning for the first time this season on Sunday, and is keen on the move, according to reports in his native Italy.
He has informed Spurs chief executive Vinai Venkatesham of Fiorentina's interest and told him to expect an approach but at the time of writing there was still no formal contact as required to reach an agreement to break him from the contract signed in October.
Spurs stayed loyal to Paratici when he resigned as their managing director of football in April 2023 after FIFA extended a ban for his role in financial irregularities at former club Juventus to cover the whole of world football.
He remained a visible figure at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium working on a consultancy basis after resigning from his official position.
When his ban expired this summer, he was reappointed two months ago as a sporting director, the title also held by Johan Lange. Venkatesham said they would work together to fulfil the ever-expanding requirements of the role.
'Together, Fabio and Johan will lead with purpose,' the Spurs chief executive said upon Paratici's reappointment.
'This is an evolution in how we operate. We're setting the foundations for sustained success.'
If Paratici does depart just two months later, it will not look good for Venkatesham, and it will also be a serious blow to Spurs' transfer plans in the January market if their senior recruitment expert was to leave with the transfer window about to open.
Fiorentina, cut adrift at the bottom of Serie A with only nine points from their first 16 games, picked up a shock 5-1 win at home to Udinese on Sunday, their first league victory of the season.
Their previous sporting director, Daniele Prade, departed the club by mutual consent last month.