Tottenham handed boost in race to sign defender – Spurs ‘resources’ putting off competition, clearer path ahead

It’s been a rather quiet day when it comes to Takehiro Tomiyasu and a potential move to Tottenham.

The Japan international has been named as a target for Spurs to bolster their defence, and the defender, who can play at right-back or through the middle, has allegedly already been the subject of a bid from Fabio Paratici.

The amount reported, around €20m, wasn’t enough to convince Bologna, who want around €25m for their star player, who is also wanted by Atalanta.

Calciomercato provide a small update on Thursday, explaining in near certain terms that the Serie A side will be pulling out of the race for Tomiyasu.

They state that the deal for the Japanese defender ‘isn’t unblocking itself’ for Atalanta, as the gap of €5m (between €20m and €25m) isn’t being closed, while ‘the interest and resources of Tottenham aren’t fuelling the white smoke’.

That means they are now expected to hold onto Cristian Romero, who will be returning from Brazil once Argentina either win or lose the Copa America final, albeit with an injury.

Good news for Tottenham then, who could have an easier path to signing Tomiyasu, even if they may face interest from West Ham and Arsenal for his signature (depending on who you choose to believe).