Sources: Tottenham target snubs Premier League for Italy after Newcastle talks, with deal agreed

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• EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey

Newcastle United have held talks with Tiago Djalo but the Lille defender has agreed a move to Juventus despite interest from a host of Premier League clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Considering that he hasn’t played even a single minute of competitive football this season after rupturing his knee ligaments, Tiago Djalo still has an impressive list of admirers across the continent. 

HITC Football understands that Newcastle United have held talks in recent weeks. Tottenham, Aston Villa and Wolves were interested too. Ditto European giants Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund.

And the sheer level of interest is testament to how highly Djalo is regarded within scouting circles, Newcastle and co obviously confident that the talented 23-year-old can rediscover the form he showcased before that long-term lay-off.

Newcastle and Tottenham miss out on Tiago Djalo

Djalo’s contract at Lille expires in July. As such, he is permitted to open talks with his many suitors this month, HITC informed that the former Portugal Under-21 international has now agreed a four-year deal with Juventus while rebuffing a host of clubs based in England’s top flight.

Juve, keen to strike while the iron is hot and presumably aware of such intense competition, hope to take Djalo to Turin now rather than as a free-agent. They will pay Lille around £2.5 million to bring an end to the saga over the next few weeks.

A 6ft 3ins, right-footed centre-half, this will be Djalo’s second spell in Italy. The Sporting Lisbon academy graduate spent a brief if unsuccessful spell at AC Milan before moving to France, and may feel he will return to Serie A with a point to prove to the Rossoneri.

Juventus agree deal with Lille ace

“Djalo is an excellent player. He’s very fast with a high concentration level in one-on-one situations,” Tiago Fernandes, a former Sporting coach, tells Sport Italia.

“And his speed must be underlined because, if you play with Tiago in the team, you know that you can keep the defensive line very high as he’s capable of controlling large spaces behind him.

“He’s very good at building up the play, controlling the ball and launching attacking plays. He has an excellent ability to decide how to manage the ball inside the opponent’s half. He can also pull off a good pass between the lines for the attackers.

“And whenever he loses the ball, he is very quick at tracking back to recover it.”

Any disappointment Tottenham may feel at missing out on Djalo, however, will be offset by the arrival of Radu Dragusin from Genoa. Spurs have fought off competition from Bayern Munich and should seal a £26 million deal imminently.