Tottenham face a frenetic four days to meet Antonio Conte’s transfer demands after missing out to Barcelona on a deal for Adama Traore.
Conte has made it clear he wants arrivals – preferably three signings – during his first January at Spurs but players need to leave before arrivals are brought in, making it one of the busiest recent mid-season window for the club.
Barca moved switfly on Thursday to agree a deal with Wolves for Traore, who is set for a medical and will edge towards an emotional return to the Spanish giants, initially with an option to buy permanently for £26.5 million in the summer.
The agreement is a blow to Conte and will also increase the pressure on director of football Fabio Paratici to have deals ready to go in the final days of the window.
Spurs are pushing ahead with a move for Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat but must offload at least one player before adding to Conte’s squad. They are also been in talks over a move for Porto forward Luis Diaz, who is valued by his club at more than £40 million and has a release clause of £66 million.
Offers will be considered for Tanguy Ndombélé, who is wanted by Paris Saint-Germain, as well as Dele Alli. There has been uncertainty over Giovani Lo Celso’s future after he was left out of the squad to face Chelsea last weekend. Steven Bergwijn is also a possible departure as Ajax want him back in Holland.
Amrabat is now high on the list of midfield priorities in a loan with an option to be turned into a permanent deal in six months’ time.
He is currently at the African Cup of Nations with Morocco where he will face Egypt in the quarter-finals on Sunday, meaning a move ahead of the Jan 31 deadline will likely require a medical away from England.
As reported by The Daily Telegraph last week, Wolves rejected a £15 million bid from Tottenham, while it is understood that Traore also has reservations about being deployed as a wing-back by Conte.
In an interview with Telegraph Sport in October 2020, Traore was asked about the prospect of ever returning to Barcelona.
He said: “For sure, many people there say I should come back to Barcelona where you played all your life. I’m happy here but you never know, maybe one day I can go back but it’s not up to me.
“The one person who controls my future is me, and then my agent. After that, we’ll see.”
