There was a time when it looked like Tottenham really wanted to sign Memphis Depay from Barcelona.
A number of articles were published about an interest from Spurs in the Dutchman, but they then went quiet, as the club focused on other targets.
Nicolo Zaniolo was one of those, but the latest in that department suggests the deal is now off, as Tottenham aren’t interested in spending €50m up front on the Italian.
That appears to have led them back to Depay, with Gazzetta dello Sport spending a decent chunk of their column inches on the matter, as Juventus are also keen.
It’s stated ‘the entry on the scene of the Tottenham of Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte imposed a pause for reflection in the dialogue between the Juventus leaders and the entourage of Memphis Depay’.
There was a ‘great wave of optimism’ on Tuesday regarding a move to Italy, ‘but the idea of being able to return to the Premier League is distracting him’.
That’s where Tottenham come in, and while he hasn’t actively knocked on Barcelona’s door like they did in January, Paratici is still there, making ‘one of the many enquiries’ he likes to do, seen for now as ‘a flirt, nothing more’.
However, such is the power of Spurs and the Premier League that even such a minute approach caused a ‘substantial’ slowdown in talks with Juventus, as the intervention ‘fatally ruined the waters’.
We’ll have to see if Tottenham come back a bit stronger next time, or if Paratici is simply messing with his former club just to keep the Depay option on the table in case he needs it at a later date.
