Fabio Paratici has been handed a boost in his attempts to lure Marcelo Brozovic to Tottenham Hotspur, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting Inter Milan won’t bow to his contract demands.
While Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg used Euro 2020 to prove he can distribute as well as destroy, producing three assists for Denmark en route to the semi-finals, his transformation from prizefighter to playmaker is unlikely to stop Spurs’ pursuit of a new midfielder.
It’s telling that, since former Juventus talent-spotter Paratici was confirmed as Spurs’ director of football, the London giants have been linked with a host of deep-lying pass masters, the kind Tottenham haven’t seen since Moussa Dembele’s heyday.
Manuel Locatelli appears to have one foot in Turin, however, while Sporting Lisbon won’t let Joao Palhinha go for a penny less than his £53 million release clause.
But, while potential deals for Locatelli and Palhinha have ground to a halt, Tottenham’s pursuit of a crafty Croatian appears to be heading in the right direction.
Marcelo Brozovic could be Hojbjerg’s perfect Tottenham partner
In June, InterLive reported Paratici wants to bring long-time Spurs target Brozovic to the Premier League as part of a £40 million double-deal that includes Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij.
And, just like De Vrij, Brozovic is facing an increasingly uncertain future at the San Siro.
Gazzetta dello Sport claims the former Dinamo Zagreb man, who will be a free agent in 12 months, wants £5 million a year (£100,000 a week).
That’s almost double the amount Brozovic currently earns at the reigning Serie A champions and not a sum Inter are willing to part with.
Opportunity knocks for Paratici then.
Inter are hardly in rude health financially speaking and would potentially welcome the chance to bring in £20 million for Brozovic rather than risk losing him for nothing this time next summer.
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