Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace can have another shot at signing Royale Union Saint-Gilloise’s Anan Khalaili this summer.
On June 30th, Sport Witness covered claims from Belgium that Tottenham were in the mix to sign him.
Earlier this month, Khalaili’s father revealed Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town have all showed interest in him. However, the centre-back didn’t consider them, in favour of Inter Milan.
He said: “There were a lot of enquiries from teams. Now I’m revealing this to you because we can talk about it: Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and Ipswich, who put a €30m price tag on him to sign him, and he didn’t want to.”
Tottenham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace keen
Het Nieuwsblad now report the Premier League trio’s interest in the right-back, who can also operate as a wing-back.
The Israel international wanted to join the Serie A winners but couldn’t seal the move after failing the medical. The Nerazzurri pulled the plug after discovering an irregularity in his heart rhythm.
This was a serious blow for both the 21-year-old and the Jupiler Pro League side. They were on the verge of collecting €32m.
He can no longer join an Italian but can still secure a move to England. Serie A has stricter rules when it comes to heart issues, which is why Christian Eriksen had to move to Brentford.
Anan Khalaili isn’t short of options as Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace have already shown interest.
There were no concrete advances because Khalaili favoured Inter Milan. His failed medical now opens the door for the Premier League trio to sign him in this window.
No panic in Belgium
Anan Khalaili will visit a specialist in Belgium and undergo further tests. Royale Union Saint-Gilloise are only doing this to figure out what Inter Milan found during the player’s medical.
The newspaper says: ‘With these extra tests, Union mainly wants to obtain its own report to provide additional clarity and convince potential suitors that there is no problem.’
Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United or Crystal Palace haven’t made advances yet even though the door remains open. If there are movements, it’s likely to be for a fee less than what Inter Milan agreed.
It looks like the Belgian club, via Het Nieuwsblad, are trying to revive the English interest.
