Three years after initial interest, Tottenham should rival Atletico Madrid for Samu Castillejo

Follow us on Google Discover

Tottenham Hotspur were previously interested in Samu Castillejo.

According to a report in Spanish publication AS, Atletico Madrid will try and sign Villarreal’s Samu Castillejo in a deal worth around £18 million this coming summer as they seek to replace Yannick Carrasco.

Castillejo has enjoyed a decent spell at Villarreal this term, scoring twice and adding a further four assists in 17 La Liga starts which has prompted Atelti’s revised interest in him.

Diego Simeone’s men first looked to buy the player when he was at Malaga three years ago, and according to reports in the Daily Mail, they faced competition from Tottenham Hotspur.

Ultimately, Villarreal beat Spurs and Atleti to his signature, but after three years with the Yellow Submarines it seems the time is right for the 23-year-old to step up once again and join a Champions League club.

Spurs, under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, have a specific transfer policy which sees them buy young players with huge potential and develop them into future world class stars.

Gareth Bale, Kyle Walker, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Eric Dier are all examples of players who have gone on to fulfil their outstanding potential at Spurs, and defender Davinson Sanchez looks like their latest brilliant find.

Not all young players arriving at Tottenham have prospered, such as Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, but the successes outweigh the failures and the club have grown as a result.

Castillejo is very much a Pochettino-type player – capable of playing in all three attacking midfield positions, hardworking, comfortable in possession and certainly not phased when trying to beat his man one vs one.

The report in AS states how Atelti have remained interested in the player, but now they believe the time is right to make their move after watching Castillejo develop physically to a level suitable for the very top level.

In today’s market, his reported price tag makes him a desirable target and Tottenham, in need of bulking up their attacking options, have every reason to go back in for him to see if they can unleash his outstanding potential.