Tottenham Hotspur are claimed to have failed with a summer move for Josip Ilicic.
According to Italian journalist Enzo Bucchioni, as quoted by Calcio Mercato, Tottenham Hotspur failed with a €15m (£13m) bid to sign Fiorentina playmaker Josip Ilicic over the summer.
Ilicic, 28, made his name with Palermo, scoring 25 goals in 107 games between 2010 and 2013, earning a move to join Serie A rivals Fiorentina.
Fiorentina’s Josip Ilicic celebrates scoring against Juventus
After 16 goals in his first two seasons, Ilicic exploded into life last season, smashing 15 goals in all competitions, notching nine assists on top of that.
The Slovenian international – who has only grabbed two goals in 36 caps for his country – is one of Fiorentina’s key players, and it seems that his performances have triggered interest in his signature.
Tottenham’s Kevin Wimmer in action with Fiorentina’s Josip Ilicic
Now, Italian journalist Enzo Bucchioni has been quoted by Calcio Mercato as saying that Tottenham actually offered €15m (£13m) to sign Ilicic over the summer, but the deal didn’t go through.
A 6ft 3in attacking midfielder, Ilicic possesses superb technical ability as well as a ferocious long shot, and he’s even capable of being a threat from set pieces – but he doesn’t have the pace that Spurs need.
Fiorentina’s Josip Ilicic in action with Sevilla’s Vicente Iborra
Too often, Spurs have been one-paced and one-dimensional, and fans have been crying out for more speed in the Tottenham attack, something that Ilicic wouldn’t exactly provide.
If remains to be seen whether Spurs return for Ilicic, but if the claims are true, Mauricio Pochettino was keen to lure the Slovenian to White Hart Lane over the summer, and was willing to pay £13m to snap him up.
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