Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has stopped short of giving his approval to progress a move for Nicolo Fagioli despite being gifted the opportunity to lure the Juventus star to Hotspur Way during the fast-approaching winter transfer window, GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed.
Spurs will go into Christmas sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table after suffering a 6-3 thumping at the hands of table-topping Liverpool last weekend, while they have struggled to deal with a defensive crisis after conceding 13 goals over the course of their last three home fixtures in all competitions.
Postecoglou was given the chance to splash the cash during the summer, which led to Dominic Solanke becoming the most expensive signing in Tottenham's history thanks to completing a £65million switch from Bournemouth, and the Greek-Australian tactician is working closely with technical director Johan Lange to formalise recruitment plans.
Postecoglou Holds Off Finalising Fagioli Move
Midfielder desperately seeking mid-season exit from Juventus
Nicolo Fagioli in action for Juventus
Postecoglou and other influential figures at Tottenham have not given the green-light to wrap up a deal for Fagioli, according to GMS sources, even though he is still being offered to Premier League clubs as he seeks a mid-season escape route from Serie A heavyweights Juventus.
Although the 23-year-old has previously been described as the 'new Pirlo' by Bianconeri legend Andrea Pirlo, he has been starved of regular game time since Thiago Motta headed into the Allianz Stadium dugout during the summer and is desperate to embark on a fresh challenge to reignite his career.
Tottenham are in the market for a central midfielder of Fagioli's type as they aim to challenge for Champions League qualification in the second half of the campaign but, in a significant twist a matter of days before being able to head to the negotiating table, GMS sources have been informed that Postecoglou has not looked to finalise a deal.
Nicolo Fagioli's statistics in Serie A for Juventus this season
There is already a strong relationship between the two clubs as Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur joined the north Londoners from Juventus close to three years ago, in deals worth up to £59million, and they have another opportunity to raid the Italian giants in the coming weeks.
Fagioli is being touted to Premier League sides as he goes in search of moving onto pastures new instead of putting himself in danger of still being on course for limited game time, GMS sources have learned, but Tottenham are refusing to rush into finding an agreement as they continue mulling over their plans for the winter transfer window.
Fagioli Interested in Making Switch to London
Crystal Palace and West Ham also aware of Italian's availability
Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli during a pre-match warm-up
GMS sources have been told that Fagioli's preference is to make London his next destination if he heads to the Premier League for the first time, giving Tottenham further optimism that they would win the race for his signature if they make the call to formalise their interest with a bid before the winter window's February 3 deadline.
The Italy international still has more than three-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, which allows him to pocket just shy of £45,000-per-week in Turin, but his determination to walk away from his current surroundings means it is unlikely that Juventus will stand in his way if a proposal meets their demands.
Fagioli's desire to potentially head to the English capital could materialise in the coming weeks as GMS sources understand that Crystal Palace and West Ham United have joined Tottenham in being offered his services as intermediaries attempt to facilitate a move midway through the campaign.
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Juventus are prepared to contemplate a deal worth in the region of £20million, GMS sources recently revealed, while they have also refused to rule out the possibility of accepting a bid which falls below that figure as it would allow them to get the wantaway academy graduate off their wage bill.
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore - correct as of 23/12/2024