- EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey
Tottenham Hotspur now look set to miss out on Club Brugge winger Antonio Nusa as he closes in on a move to Brentford.
HITC Football understands that Brentford are now in advanced talks with the Belgian teenager and his club over an imminent move.
Tottenham had previously launched a bid to sign Nusa – as reported by HITC Football previously – and talks had begun over a deal that would have seen the 18-year-old stay at Club Brugge on loan until the end of the season.
It was believed that those talks were progressing well and Tottenham were haggling on the structure of the deal.
However, HITC Football can confirm that Brentford have now agreed a deal worth £25m in principal with add-ons.
It is understood that Nusa has agreed to make the move to the Gtech Community Stadium and Club Brugge have given him permission to travel to West London for a medical while the final details of the deal are worked out.
Tottenham target Nusa set to move to Brentford
It’s been a successful January transfer window for Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou thus far.
The loan signing of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig was wrapped up very quickly and he’s already slotted into Postecoglou’s starting line-up.
Spurs then brought in centre-back Radu Dragusin from Genoa in one of the few permanent deals done this month.
However, Tottenham appear to have missed out to Brentford on bringing in Nusa.
Nusa’s current manager Ronny Delia has suggested that the move to Spurs would have been good for the young Belgian.
Instead, he’ll be taking a more gradual step into English football across the other side of the capital.
However, HITC Football understands that even if he joins Brentford instead of Tottenham, Nusa will spend the rest of the season on loan at Club Brugge.
Missing out on Nusa is a blow for Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou has demonstrated already that he’s keen on playing attacking, front-foot football regardless of the state of the game or the opposition.
Just look at how his side tackled the challenge of facing Chelsea with nine men on the pitch.
Nusa would have fitted that system perfectly given his style of play when attacking down the left wing.
Stats from FotMob comparing Nusa to other attackers from similar leagues suggest he’s in the top 10% of players for shot attempts and attacking touches.
Despite being a high-risk attacking player, he’s also a competent passer and loves rushing into the box to create scoring opportunities.
It’s easy to see why both Tottenham and Brentford wanted to sign Nusa.
Spurs will have to act fast and make a bold offer if they want to try and hijack any move now.
They may have left it too late, but that might not be the end of the world.
Tottenham still have the likes of Manor Solomon set to return from injury soon and an Under-21 side who have won 11 straight league matches.
Postecoglou will be keen to continue keeping a close eye on the club’s youngsters to see if there’s anyone he can promote from within if necessary.
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