AC Milan are refusing to meet Tottenham Hotspur’s £20 million demands for Serge Aurier and that could ruin their hopes of bringing Zeki Celik to the Premier League, according to Bleacher Report.
It is one thing identifying a replacement for an under-performing player.
Getting that ‘underperforming player’ off the wage bill, and thereby opening a space for said ‘replacement’, is another challenge altogether.
The Times reported at the start of August that Tottenham were hoping to beat Everton to the £18 million signing of Lille flyer Celik.
The Toffees have a head start, however, given that talks with the Turkish international are already underway. And, what’s more, Spurs will need to move Aurier out of the door if they want to raise funds for Celik’s arrival.
And that is proving easier said than done.
When you consider that Aurier’s Spurs career has been characterised less than pinpoint assists and more by an endless series of penalty concessions, not to mention a steadfast refusal to learn from his mistakes, you can understand why Milan are reluctant to pay that £20 million fee.
The Serie A giants will offer £13 million and no more.
So it is advantage Everton, as things stand.
With Tottenham hamstrung by the need to pay off that space-age new stadium, chairman Daniel Levy is likely to be more scrupulous than ever this summer.
And that doesn’t bode well for Mourinho’s recruitment drive.
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