Tottenham are bucking the trend as they attempt to sign Mohammed Kudus from West Ham.
The Lilywhites have targeted the Ghanaian as their first marquee signing of the summer for Thomas Frank, who has been itching to bring in a proven Premier League forward this window.
Kudus would be the first player to join Tottenham from the Hammers since Scott Parker in 2011, with Daniel Levy and David Sullivan not thought to be on the best of terms.
Nevertheless, the Spurs chairman is hoping he can still navigate a deal to prove he is willing to back his new manager.
Jordan comments on rivalry as West Ham reject Spurs’ opening bid
It is widely reported that Tottenham have had a £50million bid for Kudus rejected by West Ham.
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The 24-year-old has a release clause set at £85million, which is only active for the first 10 days of July, but Levy is hoping to secure the forward for a much lower fee.
Spurs are favourites to sign Kudus, but will be aware that other clubs are also looking at the forward, who failed to reproduce his best form last season following the appointment of Graham Potter.
The mooted transfer has garnered a lot of attention, with Simon Jordan stating on talkSPORT (3 July) that he believes the transfer should go through.
The former Crystal Palace chairman also dismissed Tottenham’s rivalry with the Hammers as potentially being a hindrance to the deal, downplaying its importance.
Asked about the negative reaction the potential transfer has produced from the West Ham supporters, Jordan asked, “Why are you so offended specifically?
“Are you offended at the transfer, or are you offended at the transfer going to Spurs? There is no massive rivalry between West Ham and Tottenham is there?
“They are London football clubs, they are both in the same division, but is there this massive rivalry? I don’t recall a big one.”
This is clearly a ridiculous comment from Jordan, who is no stranger to making outlandish claims, as there is a lot of animosity between the Premier League rivals, especially among the fan bases.
It is no secret that they share a mutual disdain for one another, and any player movement between the London clubs is sure to be met with a lot of anger.
Kudus deal needs to be concluded quickly
Tottenham cannot afford the pursuit of Kudus to drag on as pre-season begins.
Frank already has a huge task ahead of him to instil a completely new tactical identity on his inherited squad and will want any new arrivals to be there as soon as possible.
A delay, and even possibly a bust, on the Kudus deal would set the Danish manager back and hamper his chances of constructing a squad capable of challenging on multiple fronts next season.