‘It’s very clear’: Coach crushes Tottenham’s hopes of surprise £17m signing

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Eintracht Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner has effectively ended Tottenham’s hopes of landing a surprise signing this summer in the form of Serbian international Filip Kostic.

Speaking to Sky Germany, the UEFA Europa League-winning manager announced that he is calm that Kostic will stay with Frankfurt despite reports earlier in the summer that Tottenham want to sign the 29-year-old attacker, with a €20m (£17m) price tag currently hovering over the forward’s head.

Kostic’s current deal with Frankfurt expires next year and there has been recent speculation that the winger could stay in Germany until next summer, throwing more doubt over Tottenham’s hopes of signing the Bundesliga superstar this summer.

The forward was one of Frankfurt’s best players last season as Eintracht won the Europa League and thus qualified for the UEFA Champions League, and for Glasner, Kostic will likely stay to compete in Europe’s elite club competition with the German side.

The Frankfurt boss said: “There’s a lot of speculation about him in general, but I’m staying calm. I said after Seville that I’m convinced that it wasn’t his last game for Eintracht and I continue to believe that. From a sporting point of view, it’s very clear. I want Filip to stay.

“I would like him to stay because we value him as a person and as a footballer. He also knows what he has in us, knows our standing in the team and in the city. As of now, he’s our player and I assume that he will remain so for a long time to come.”

Kostic was always going to be a tough signing for Tottenham

Tottenham might also be in the Champions League next season, but trying to sign Kostic away from Frankfurt was always going to be a tough ask for Antonio Conte regardless of how hard Fabio Paratici was going to push for the deal to happen.

Indeed, Kostic was phenomenal last season for Frankfurt, and with his contract expiring next summer, the Serbian has a great chance of securing a career-changing deal at a top club should he decide to just wait around for one more year in Germany with the Bundesliga side.