Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur offered Barcelona the chance to sign Tanguy Ndombele and Serge Aurier as a part of the deal to bring Emerson Royal to North London.
Tottenham snapped up Emerson for £25.8m on transfer deadline day just three months after Barcelona took up the option to sign the right-back permanently following his two impressive campaigns at Real Betis.
Spurs also announced after signing the Brazilian that they had reached an agreement with Aurier to terminate his contract.
Ndombele’s future was also mired in uncertainty over the summer after the midfielder allegedly informed Nuno Espirito Santo that he wanted to leave Tottenham.
However, Spurs were unable to move to Frenchman on and Nuno has subsequently opened the door for the 24-year-old to stake a claim for a starting spot.
Romano has now revealed that Barcelona turned down the chance to sign the former Lyon man as well as Aurier during the summer.
Tottenham will pay €25m guaranteed to Barcelona for Emerson Royal. There are no add-ons included. Barça turned down the opportunity of signing Ndombele or Aurier as part of the deal. ⚪️ #THFC
…and today, Emerson Royal starts and makes his debut as new Spurs player. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/5khKgGOxgA
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 11, 2021
Spurs Web Opinion
Given Barca’s financial issues, they were unlikely to ever match Ndombele’s salary at Spurs. It is the Frenchman’s wages that likely put off any potential buyer in the summer. Unless the 24-year-old improves considerably over the next couple of months, that situation is not likely to change in January.