Tottenham could be handed their second chance to sign Atlético Madrid star Yannick Carrasco as the Spanish club looks to make up a deficit in their budget.
AS explain that Atlético have ‘got themselves into trouble’ after a disastrous Champions League group stage saw them crash out of the tournament.
Nobody expected that to happen, and it means work will have to be done to fill a ‘hole’ in the club’s coffers of around €30m.
That’s added to an already developing issue as the club had budgeted for €40m of sales in the summer but failed to achieve the major sale they were looking for.
Thus, they will ‘listen to winter offers’ for a large part of their squad, which opens the door for Tottenham to get Carrasco.
They were willing to pay €60m for him at the end of the summer transfer window and it has been reported they could return in January with a second effort.
Atlético’s failure in the Champions League have made a big exit from the Wanda Metropolitano ‘more feasible’ than before and Carrasco is a sellable asset.
He is ‘very much liked in England’, there’s no specific mention of Tottenham here to be clear, and the club already have long-term replacements such as Samuel Lino and Rodrigo Riquelme.
He’s also fallen down the pecking order slightly under Diego Simeone this season and so the club would accept offers, particularly if he enjoys a good World Cup with Belgium.
The belief is that could lead a Premier League club to pay his €60m release clause, something Tottenham were apparently willing to do at the end of the summer and may consider again in January now Atlético are open for business.
