Euro giants threatening to walk away from Tottenham deal as second exit faces delay

Tottenham are reportedly playing hardball over the price of a defensive star who is being tipped to make a big move to Italy this summer.

Ange Postecoglou is looking to make sweeping changes to his squad this summer after admitting he did not have the players at his disposal to play the brand of football he thinks can help the club win trophies.

And while several big names continue to be linked with a move to north London, there are also expected to be numerous exits as the Australian gets ruthless.

AC Milan, meanwhile, are looking to strengthen their defence in 2024-25, and director Geoffrey Moncada flew to London last week to hold talks with a couple of targets.

Aston Villa’s Matty Cash and Tottenham’s Emerson Royal are among the primary targets of the Serie A giants, who will soon appoint Paulo Fonseca as their new head coach.

According to Gazzetta, Tottenham value Emerson at €20m, but the Rossoneri are trying to bring the price tag down as they don’t want to pay more than €15-€18m to sign the 25-year-old.

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Villa’s €25m asking price for Cash is also slightly out of reach for the Rossoneri, who are working on a little discount for the Poland international.

The third and cheapest option is Lille defender Tiago Santos. The Portuguese has made 43 appearances under Fonseca, scoring three goals and is reportedly available for €12m.

Betis clearing the path for Lo Celso return

Meanwhile, another star being tipped to quit north London this summer continues to be linked with a return to Spain.

Giovani Lo Celso’s agent is known to have held a meeting with one of his former clubs Real Betis in Madrid.

And now ABC Sevilla has delivered an update on the player’s future after it became clear that is one of a number of midfielders who are surplus to requirements in north London.

The 28-year-old spent the 2019/20 season at the LaLiga side, before joining Spurs in 2020.

However, the two parties have been in touch as it’s claimed the contacts between them have been ‘continuous and always remained open’ as the Betis directors push to bring Lo Celso back.

Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini is known to be a fan of the midfielder, having failed to land him in 2023 because his transfer demands were too high.

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But with Betis focused on parting ways with a few players who have high salaries, such as Nabil Fekir, William Carvalho and Willian Jose, that could free up funds to bring Lo Celso back.

The issue with that is getting the other players off the books first, which may take some time and lead to Lo Celso playing a waiting game before he ultimately gets his wish.

The midfielder, who has never really been able to hold down a regular starting spot at Tottenham, has a year left on his contract but is currently focused on trying to win the Copa America with Argentina.