According to the print edition of Corriere dello Sport (11/05/23 as relayed by Sport Witness), Tottenham Hotspur have informed Juventus that they will not be activating the option to sign Dejan Kulusevski permanently.
Kulusevski’s loan spell at Spurs comes to an end this summer, with Tottenham having the option to make the deal permanent for £30.4m (Fabrizio Romano).
It was suggested by Goal Italia at the start of this week that the North London club might not sign the 22-year-old permanently now that they are going to finish outside of the top four.
The report explained that failing to qualify for the Champions League would limit Tottenham’s transfer budget and that the decision on the winger is likely to be made by the club’s next head coach.
Il Bianconero also suggested a couple of days ago that the possibility of Kulusevski returning to Turin cannot be ruled out as Spurs have a decision to make regarding whether they activate the clause.
Corriere have now gone a step further and asserted that the Lilywhites have informed Juventus already that they will not be paying €35m (£30.4m) for the winger.
It is alleged that the Sweden international is thus expected to return to the Allianz Stadium at the end of the current season.
However, Alasdair Gold refuted these claims earlier this week and reported that Spurs are in fact expected to trigger the clause, with the club being left surprised by reports from Italy.
Spurs Web Opinion
I find it hard to fathom why Spurs will decide against paying £30m for Kulusevski as the price certainly represents a bargain for a player of the winger’s quality.
I expect the club could activate the clause even before they finalise a managerial appointment.
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