The Times have revealed that Nice decided to inflate their asking price for Jean-Clair Todibo to cover a sell-on bonus they were due to pay for the centre-back, with Tottenham thus deciding to turn their attention to Radu Dragusin instead.
A whole host of outlets over the past few days have indicated that Tottenham decided to turn their attention from Todibo to Dragusin primarily because the North London club wanted to sign a centre-back swiftly while Nice were dragging their feet on the Frenchman (Foot Mercato).
Over the past 48 hours, various sources have reported that Spurs’ pursuit of the Ligue 1 star has now almost completely collapsed, with the Lilywhites now thought to be confident of getting a deal for Dragusin over the line (Fabrizio Romano).
Nice moved the goalposts on Jean-Clair Todibo deal
The same information has now been backed up by The Times, who say that the Genoa star now emerges as Spurs preferred target.
They offer more details on Tottenham’s failed pursuit of Todibo, saying that Nice had changed their stance on the player.
They explain that the French club initially wanted £35m for the 23-year-old but they then decided to inflate the fee in order to cover a sell-on bonus they owed to Todibo’s former club, Barcelona.
Spurs Web Opinion
It might have not been the sell-on bonus per se that convinced Tottenham to move on from Todibo.
The Premier League side would have likely got the feeling that Nice wanted to drag on the negotiations through much of the window to get the best possible price while Postecoglou has made it clear that time is of the essence in signing a centre-back.
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