Serge Aurier continues to price himself out of a return to the game after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract at Tottenham Hotspur in August, according to Calciomercato.
The defender is keeping fit while he waits to receive offers to join a new club since leaving north London. Several Serie A outfits, including Jose Mourinho’s Roma, explored potential moves for the free-agent earlier this month, but decided against signing the 28-year-old.
Roma, Genoa and Italian top-flight basement boys Salernitana all considered Aurier’s wage demands to be too excessive. The right-back has so far been reluctant to accept any move after enjoying a lucrative four-year spell with Spurs.
Tottenham tore the last year of Aurier’s contract up at the end of August after failing to find a buyer. That’s according to the Evening Standard, who noted Spurs had been willing to listen to offers throughout the summer market.
The Ivorian international had no future in north London and faced an increased fight for minutes after Emerson Royal’s arrival. Spurs’ €25m (£21.5m) deal for the former Barcelona full-back was not reliant on Aurier leaving. But with Matt Doherty and Japhet Tanganga for competition, the former Paris Saint-Germain dynamo could have been the fourth-choice.
Aurier is now waiting to the phone to ring after pricing himself out of a move to Italy. He had also wanted to remain in England, per Sky Sports, who noted the 70-cap international would have considered Arsenal. Intermediaries also informed the Gunners of his position.
Should Tottenham have kept Aurier, rather than release him?
Tottenham would have preferred to sell their £23m signing from 2017 than release him this summer. But their decision to cut all ties saved the club paying an unwanted player £70k-a-week for, potentially, another year.
Nuno Espirito Santo showed no intentions of utilising Aurier, even before Spurs had signed Emerson. The Portuguese tactician left the defender out of his Premier League matchday squads against Manchester City, Wolves and Watford.
Aurier also sat out both of Tottenham’s Europa Conference League play-off ties with Pacos de Ferreira. And rather than spend at least the next four-months in the cold, walked away. But wage demands have proven the key issue stopping him from securing his pastures new.
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