Tottenham Hotspur reportedly want to bring La Liga winner Carles Alena to the Premier League in January.
Carlos Alena would have been stretching his hamstrings with a smile on his face after hearing what Ernesto Valverde had to say before Barcelona hosted Real Valladolid at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
The academy graduate has not featured for Barca since the opening day defeat to Athletic Bilbao in August but a return to the team looked like a real possibility in midweek, especially with Arthur out of action and the coach signing his praises pre-game.
“Alena hasn’t played as much as I thought, and he possibly deserves more game time because he is giving everything in training,” Valverde told Goal, suggesting that the 21-year-old would be offered a rare run out.
But, by the time Lionel Messi put the finishing touches on a comfortable 5-1 route, Alena hadn’t got off the bench.
His wait for a first-team appearance now stands at almost three months and, for whatever reason, Valverde opted against introducing him at the Camp Nou against Valladolid despite the fact that the game looked over as a contest at half-time.
And this could play right into Tottenham Hotspur’s hands.
Mundo Deportivo claims that Mauricio Pochettino wants to tempt Alena to North London in January and, fear not Daniel Levy, Spurs won’t have to trigger a £64 million release clause. Barca, it seems, are willing to send him out on loan (Sport).
Minds will immediately conjure up images of Denis Suarez, the Barcelona outcast who made absolutely no impression during a spell at Arsenal last season, but Spurs are lacking cutting edge in the centre with Christian Eriksen a shadow of his former self and Alena could provide exactly that.
And another Camp Nou no-show will surely convince Alena, who has lost his place and his shirt number to Frenkie De Jong, to consider life outside of Catalonia.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
