Takehiro Tomiyasu could stay at Bologna despite interest from Premier League trio Arsenal, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, sporting director Walter Sabatini told Fanta Calcio.
Spurs didn’t even have a manager in place when the Japanese international was first linked with a move to the London giants in late June.
And, despite agreeing a £17 million deal in principle with Tottenham, it seems Tomiyasu could now see a dream move to the Premier League slip through his fingers, with just two weeks left before the window slams shut.
After snapping up Cristian Romero from Atalanta, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Spurs side look to be closing in on another Serie A ball-winner – Fiorentina’s 6ft 5ins man-mountain Nikola Milenkovic.
Is Takehiro Tomiyasu going nowhere this summer?
Tomiyasu has also been linked with Wolverhampton Wanderers. But the Black Country side are pressing ahead with another Portuguese international who has Jorge Mendes on speed-dial.
Leicester City, meanwhile, have compensated for Wesley Fofana’s injury-enforced absence by raiding Southampton for Yannik Vestergaard.
“I think Tomiyasu will stay at Bologna,” said Sabatini, the club’s veteran sporting director.
“We have never been willing to sell him.”
Sabatini did admit that Bologna would listen to offers should Tomiyasu express a desire to leave the Serie A outfit between now and the end of August.
But with Tottenham and Wolves looking elsewhere, and with interest from Arsenal drying up, it seems a big-money move in this window has passed the 22-year-old by.
There is still a chance, however, that West Ham United will come to his rescue in the nick of time.
It is no secret that David Moyes wants a new centre-half – he has just three at his disposal as things stand – but the Hammers have hit a brick wall in their respective pursuits of Kurt Zouma and the aforementioned Milenkovic.
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