Flamengo midfielder Gerson has ruled out a potential £16 million move to Tottenham Hotspur, telling Globo Esporte that he is loving life back home in his native Brazil.
Considering that the 23-year-old powerhouse still has a miserable spell at Roma fresh in his mind, you can understand why he would be a little cautious about making a return to one of the biggest clubs on European soil.
Goal reported in June that Spurs have offered £16 million for Gerson, an all-action midfielder who would add not only guile but plenty of grit at the heart of a rather lightweight Jose Mourinho midfield.
But having lifted four trophies in just 12 months at Flamengo, including the 2019 Copa Libertadores title, the Selecao hopeful has no interest in leaving his home country so soon.
“Flamengo changed my life. I consider (signing for them) the best decision I’ve ever made,” said Gerson, who became the most expensive Brazilian footballer ever purchased by a Brazilian club last year.
“I am a new player and I owe this change to Flamengo. This time here made me grow as an athlete and person.
“Today, after a year of Flamengo, I can guarantee that I never talked to any other club. My focus is totally on Flamengo. I feel at home, I am happy, I am valued.
“I want to have even more achievements with this shirt.”
Remarkably, Gerson can win his fifth different trophy in just over a year if Jorge Jesus’s all-conquering Flamengo side beat Fluminense in the Campeonato Carioca later this month.
Speaking to Yahoo back in March, the former Fiorentina loanee’s father claimed that there were offers on the table from not just Spurs but Arsenal too.
Gerson, however, is not going anywhere just yet.
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