Over the course of the summer, a lot of rumours were published surrounding Tottenham’s needs, with a new defender and a forward key to what Antonio Conte wants to do at Spurs.
However, there was also a gap in midfield, which the London club filled with Yves Bissouma, but the former Brighton star doesn’t appear to have been the first name on the Italian’s list.
That, according to Corriere dello Sport, was Nicolò Barella, whom the Tottenham manager knows well from their time together at Inter.
The newspaper look back at what happened over the summer, and explain that while Barella’s name wasn’t front and centre in the rumour mill, unlike those of his teammates Alessandro Bastoni and Milan Skriniar, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t interest in him.
They point out the midfielder ‘had an important request for information: that of Conte’s Tottenham’, who also tried for the aforementioned Italian centre-back.
However, while Inter were open to selling some of their players, it’s made clear they ‘immediately imposed a halt to any talk’.
Not only that, but ‘the valuation that was given’ to Barella ‘did not allow Spurs to get close’ to what was requested, meaning the fee was too high.
Therefore, Tottenham, hindered by the asking price, seemingly moved onto other targets.
