Tottenham Hotspur reportedly want Barcelona’s Carles Alena.
According to SPORT, Real Betis are challenging Tottenham Hotspur for the signing of Barcelona midfielder Carles Alena – and he would prefer to stay in Spain.
Alena, 21, has come up through the famed La Masia academy, and was once touted as the next great Barcelona midfielder after the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta moved on.
However, Barcelona have seemingly ditched their philosophy of promoting from within, instead splashing out on the likes of Arthur, Arturo Vidal and Frenkie de Jong.
That means Alena has struggled for playing time, and with just 21 league appearances for Barca to his name, he could decide to move on in 2020.
It’s claimed that Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to bring him to England, but Real Betis are also in the hunt – and they may actually have the upper hand.
The report notes that Alena would rather stay in Spain than move abroad, though it’s even suggested that Barca may only want a loan deal.
They’re at least protected by the €75million (£64million) release clause in his deal, as no club – certainly not Betis or Spurs – will be paying that any time soon.
Spurs may hope that they can lure Alena with Premier League football, but if it’s only a loan deal with no chance of a permanent deal, Pochettino may be better off looking for a player to contribute for the long-term, as Alena wouldn’t be the kind of instant impact player to sign on loan.
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