A Tottenham Hotspur target has chosen to move to the Saudi Pro League rather than head to north London, with Fabrizio Romano confirming the conditions of the deal.
Spurs have moved their attention to attacking moves after their near-£230million spend in defence and midfield. A wide man and potentially a new striker are on the agenda.
After it was revealed that Portugal forward Francisco Trincao had cooled on a move to Al-Ahli, giving himself a few days after the World Cup to think about the move, Tottenham were one of the main clubs looking at him.
But they’ve been left high and dry as the winger has, in fact, decided to move to the Saudi Pro League side.
And Italian journalist Romano reveals a deal is in place for the 26-year-old to head to Al-Ahli for a full package of $50million (£37.3m).
Paperwork is now in the process of being exchanged, with Trincao set to complete the formalities of the deal very soon.
While Spurs won’t be signing one Portuguese winger, his international teammate, Rafael Leao, remains on their radar after it was suggested he was open to listening to an offer from the north London club.
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Leao a big upgrade
What’s more, Tottenham have been told that signing Leao would be cheaper than expected, and he’d be a great addition to the side.
European expert Andy Brassell said: “We talked about that €175million buyout clause. No one’s paying even half that at the moment. There’s no question of that.
“So this brings the Premier League teams back into the picture. It’s not just about the Saudi clubs. And he’s shown a real disinclination to go to Saudi.
“He wants to stay in Europe, and he wants to test himself in the Premier League.
“We know Tottenham were interested in him, and that would be a really interesting bit, a big upgrade for him for them on that left-hand side.
“Of course, since Son [Heung-min] has gone, they’ve not really had a player of that sort of explosive quality in that sort of area of the pitch, and I think they are comparable because even though Son did become more central in the closing part of his time, it’s first we know Rafael now can do that.
“We know he can come inside and score goals as well, and maybe the fluidity of the Premier League and the pace of it really works for him in that sense in the sense that he’s always fighting for the right to counter-attack.
“Now look, there are loads of other clubs that he could end up at, but with Tottenham really nailing their colours to the mast in terms of getting out there in terms of battering down all the previous cliches about them not spending money this season. He would be a huge, huge upgrade in attack.
“Working with a coach as intense as Roberto De Zerbi might get the best out of him consistently, which is exactly what he needs at the age of 27 if he’s really to become one of the best players in the world.”