Money talks, but not as much as the players themselves, it seems, and with Tottenham very vocal in their search for a centre-back, lips are being loosened more than usual.
Antonio Conte has made little secret of the fact his first-choice target is former Inter Milan cohort Alessandro Bastoni. But the Italian has told Corriere Dello Sport that he has no plans to leave Serie A despite additional interest from Manchester United.
Conte will be disappointed but not deterred for long, having already identified Gleison Bremer of Torino as an alternate. But his fixation on finding a third centre-back has had an impact on players already at the club.
CAMERON HAPPY TO BE CARTED OFF
Cameron Carter-Vickers believes the writing is on the wall for a career at Tottenham having made just four cup appearances in six years.
While a rich stream of academy players have forced their way to the first team at White Hart Lane, the American has been farmed out on a series of loans. Now, after the giant defender enjoyed a successful season north of the border at Celtic, he is hoping to make the move permanent.
“It has been kind of difficult going out on loan, but I have really enjoyed it at Celtic,” he told the Scottish Sun. “I am 24 now and want to be somewhere where I can settle for a few years. Me and my agent have been talking to the club throughout the season about what’s going to happen at the end of the season.”
SANCHEZ STOPPING
Davinson Sanchez has been given a few tasters of Premier League action and insists he is hungry for more despite Conte’s determination to bring in top-notch talent above him. The 25-year-old has just two years left on his current contract and Spurs will be happy to try to get back around £27m for the Colombia international before he starts to wind down his contract.
But in an interview with Semana, Sanchez says he is going nowhere. “It was a positive season for me personally,” he said. “Within what I was able to play, I always did it the way it had to be done.”
CONTE UNFAZED
Nobody, though, stands in the way of Conte when he is on a spending spree and already tales of a Plan C centre-back are emerging.
The latest news from Turkey is that Spurs have put in a bid for third-choice centre-back Min-Jae Kim, a South Korea international team-mate of Heung-Min Son. Everton are also interested in the 6ft 5in defender with a £19.6m break clause in his current deal at Fenerbahce.
