Both Newcastle United and Tottenham made late moves to sign Atlético Madrid’s Yannick Carrasco on deadline day, but the player was uninterested in moving.
That’s according to Marca, who say that the forward’s ‘commitment’ to the Spanish club meant he did not leave Atlético on deadline day of the January transfer window.
The newspaper explains that Carrasco has been one of the regulars for Diego Simeone, something the Argentine has been rewarded for as the player has been one of Atlético’s most outstanding performers in a complex season.
And it is because of that, coupled with the player’s commitment to the club, that he did not leave despite there being offers.
Those were mostly from the Premier League, where Tottenham contacted both Atlético ad the player’s agent Pini Zahavi about a move. Newcastle, meanwhile, ‘made their intentions known’ to the Atlético board.
The story did not go any further than that, though, because Carrasco ‘was not contemplating’ leaving the team.
He is ‘very fond of’ both them and their fans and knows they are going through a difficult moment, so did not want to abandon ship.
At this moment in time, he is ‘essential’ for Simeone, and that is why the club referred to his €60m release clause when Newcastle and Tottenham came calling.
‘It could be different’ in the summer, though, as his performances have been earning him attention, and his link-up with Zahavi could lead to a move away.
Whether that is to Newcastle or Tottenham remains to be seen, but there were certainly efforts at the end of last month.
