‘It is true’ – Sporting director confirms interest in starlet linked with Spurs and Aston Villa

Universidad de Chile sporting director Manuel Mayo has admitted that rumoured Tottenham target Dario Osorio has attracted a lot of interest from Europe but he insisted that the youngster is happy at the Chilean club.

Osorio has turned a lot of heads, having established himself as a regular in Universidad de Chile’s starting eleven this season. The winger has scored seven times in 27 appearances in the top flight so far (Transfermarkt).

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Las Ultimas Noticias (26/01/23 as relayed by Sport Witness) reported last week that Aston Villa and Tottenham were battling it out for the 19-year-old, with the report adding that Wolves’ efforts to snap up the attacker were knocked back last summer.

Villa and Spurs’ interest in Osorio was also backed up by TuttoMercatoWeb, who claimed a couple of days ago that the Premier League duo were battling AC Milan for the youngster’s signature.

None of those clubs were able to lure Osorio away from Universidad de Chile during the January window, and Mayo has now insisted that the winger remains an important part of manager Mauricio Pellegrino’s plans.

When asked about the speculation over the teenager’s future, the Chilean club’s sporting director told La Tercera (01/02/23 as relayed by Sport Witness): “It is true that there has been a lot of interest in Dario.

“Many clubs from abroad have approached and asked about him, showing this interest and desire to have him, but the appreciation that we have of Dario is high due to the characteristics he has, the level and growth he has shown. For this reason, we are not in a hurry for him to come out.

“We believe that he is going to be a very important piece in the sports project that we have for this year. For Mauricio [Pellegrino] it is a very important piece. We count on him.

“He is happy here, it is his club, he wants to continue growing, improving as a player and when an offer arrives, we will analyse it, but there is no rush and we believe that for now it is best for him to be with us to help the team.

“We know that these interests will grow and that in the future something concrete and greater may come.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Just because Tottenham are scouting Osorio does not mean that an offer is likely to arrive from the club. The North Londoners have not tended to sign players directly from South American football over the years and that has not changed since Fabio Paratici took charge, with the Italian preferring to look towards the European market for young talent.

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