Tottenham Hotspur reportedly wanted to bring Austrian ace Florian Grillitsch to the Premier League after impressing in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim.
Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of signing Florian Grillitsch for a bargain £18 million are over.
One of the most underrated central midfielders in German football had emerged as a potential addition to Spurs’ engine room with Sky Sports claiming that Mauricio Pochettino’s side had been keeping tabs on the Austrian international.
Grillitsch also had an £18 million release clause in his contract.
In today’s market, that is a more than acceptable fee for a player who’s excellent reading of the game and impressive passing range could have helped fill the void left by Mousa Dembele’s departure.
But Grillitsch has now taken the decision to commit his future to Hoffenheim instead, signing a new contract until 2022.
“Florian is an exceptionally gifted footballer,” Hoffenheim’s sporting director Alexander Rosen said in quotes reported by Transfermarkt.
You can all but guarantee that his contract extension has removed the £18 million buy-out clause, though it remains to be seen how much the Bundesliga side would demand these days for their 23-year-old linchpin.
Tottenham must now decide whether they want to look elsewhere for a new midfielder or put their faith in homegrown youngsters such as Harry Winks or Oliver Skipp instead.
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