First-choice Tottenham signing emerges as Antonio Conte forced to settle for Arnaut Danjuma after failed bid
Arnaut Danjuma was not Antonio Conte’s preferred attacking signing for Tottenham as he initially wanted a former Everton man to join instead, according to a report.
Danjuma looked set to link up with Everton after they reached an agreement with Villarreal for him recently. He even undertook an Everton medical over the weekend and was in the process of completing the media work for his announcement video.
However, Tottenham raced in to steal the signing from under Everton’s noses. They have come to an agreement of their own and are confident about taking the La Liga star to north London.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham are so confident they have won the race for Danjuma that they are already turning their attention back to Pedro Porro as their next signing.
However, a report from Italy has now suggested Danjuma was not actually Conte’s ideal signing to improve his forward ranks.
As per Tuttomercatoweb, the manager originally hoped Spurs could land Gerard Deulofeu from Italian side Udinese.
Spurs event went as far as submitting a loan offer for the former Everton and Watford ace.
However, this was pushed back by Udinese. This is because they would rather sell Deulofeu than let him go out on loan, so as to increase their transfer funds.
Tottenham fail to meet demands by ‘some distance’
There was apparently ‘some distance’ between the loan bid Spurs had put on the table and Udinese’s demands.
After failing to sign Deulofeu, Spurs decided to pursue Danjuma. And soon afterwards they had usurped Everton in the chase for the Nigeria-born Netherlands international.
It would have been intriguing to see Deulofeu return to the Premier League. The centre-forward, who can also operate as a winger on either flank, first moved to England by joining Everton from Barcelona in summer 2015.
He made 75 appearances for the Toffees, registering eight goals and 19 assists in that time. Deulofeu also had a loan spell at AC Milan before going back to Barcelona in July 2017.
Deulofeu went on to join Watford six months later. And he continued to be a lively attacker for them, managing 17 goals and 11 assists during 70 appearances.
The Spaniard has been on Udinese’s books since January 2021, following an initial loan spell there. He is likely to leave the Serie A outfit this month though, as they still want to sell him on a permanent basis.
That will not be at Spurs, however, as Conte looks set to benefit from having Danjuma in his squad for the remainder of the season.
Meanwhile, a Brentford star has opened the door to a transfer elsewhere, amid interest from Spurs, Man Utd and Chelsea.
