Tottenham Hotspur reportedly turned their attention to a young Bundesliga starlet after being snubbed by Johnny Cardoso, but the Lilywhites are now expected to face defeat in their latest transfer pursuit as well.
It has been widely reported that Tottenham’s £21m purchase option on Cardoso will go to waste as the midfielder prefers to join Atletico Madrid.
In fact, some sources suggest that Spurs have not even initiated a move for Cardoso, nor have they reached out to the Real Betis man to indicate that they intend to activate the option.
It turns out that Tottenham have identified a 20-year-old alternative to Cardoso, but even he will prove very difficult to get after the latest developments.
Tottenham set to face blow in pursuit Hugo Larsson
Over the last month, some sources indicated that Tottenham were becoming increasingly confident of signing Hugo Larsson from Eintracht Frankfurt.
GiveMeSport have now claimed that Larsson is the man that Spurs were set to make a move for after being disappointed in their pursuit of Cardoso.
However, the outlet says that their pursuit of the Swede has now become complicated since Eintracht are adamant that they will not let the youngster depart.
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The Bundesliga club had identified Jobe Bellingham as a potential replacement for Larsson, but with the Sunderland player now leaning towards a move for Borussia Dortmund, Dino Toppmoller’s men do not wish to let their young starlet go.
The German side, who Spurs beat in the Europa League quarter-final, have now made it clear that it would take an offer of more than £50m to prise Larsson away.
Eintracht are in a strong negotiating position as the midfielder has four years left on his contract, with Spurs thus on course to miss out on the youngster.
What is Larsson’s transfer stance?
GiveMeSport say that apart from Tottenham, the young Swede is also being monitored by both Real Madrid and Manchester City.
However, despite attracting interest from these clubs, Larsson has decided that he will not agitate for a move if these sides are not able to strike a deal with his club.
The outlet points out that the 20-year-old will get a chance to play Champions League football at the Deutsche Bank Park next summer, which is perhaps why he is not intent on pushing for a move.