Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of signing Carles Alena seem slim.
According to SPORT, Barcelona will allow midfielder Carles Alena to leave the club on loan in January – but won’t include any purchase clause in a deal for the Tottenham target.
Last week, Mundo Deportivo reported that Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is really keen to add Alena in January, having failed to tempt him with a summer move.
His lack of playing time under Ernesto Valverde means a January move may occur, and Pochettino is seemingly hoping to try his luck again with a new attempt.
It’s now claimed that Barcelona will let Alena go out on loan in January, but won’t accept a purchase clause in any deal and want to send him to a Spanish club.
Celta Vigo, Getafe, Granada and Real Betis are all thought to be keen, and whilst Alena’s availability may seem like a boost for Tottenham, the new reports actually seem like a blow.
For one, Barcelona won’t let him go permanently, and secondly don’t want him to leave Spain. The 21-year-old is talented, but signing him on loan for a few months wouldn’t really make sense given that he’s a player for the future rather than a talent to make an immediate impact.
The only way around Barcelona’s stance would be to pay the €75million (£65million) release clause in Alena’s contract, which doesn’t seem likely and really wouldn’t be a great idea given his lack of first-team football with Barca.
Tottenham pursuing a loan without a purchase clause simply makes no sense, and Barca’s firm stance may just rule out the chances of Pochettino signing Alena once again.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
