Tottenham’s interest in Arthur Dias went well further than scouting during the summer window.
That is according to Globo Esporte, who bring an update on the defender this Wednesday. They say Athletico now want around €30m (£26m) to consider selling their youngster.
Spurs actually offered €21m (£18.2m) for 80% of the 19-year-old, only to see Athletico Paranaense turn them down.
Tottenham haven’t disappeared either. Spurs have followed Arthur Dias for months and have promised to make further attempts to sign him in the future.
Tottenham have already tested Athletico
Back in April, Tottenham sent scouts to Brazil to watch Arthur Dias in person. They attended matches against Atlético-GO and Vitória at the Arena da Baixada.
At the time, the feeling around Athletico was that Tottenham saw him as someone capable of becoming one of the best defenders of his generation.
We previously covered reports putting Athletico’s desired price at €20-25m. The summer negotiations show that figure has already moved. Tottenham went as high as €21m (£18.2m) for 80% of his rights and still got an immediate rejection.
Athletico now value him at around €30m (£26m).
Ancelotti now taking a close look
This week, Arthur Dias has made Carlo Ancelotti’s preliminary Brazil squad for the September internationals.
The national team’s coaching staff have been gathering more detailed information on the defender. Globo Esporte say Ancelotti has been impressed by what he’s heard and seen.
There’s already some history with Brazil. Arthur Dias won the South American U20 Championship last year and has the backing of Branco, the national team’s youth coordinator.
Brazil are now trying to bring their different age groups closer together. That means highly-rated youngsters can spend time around the senior setup earlier in their development. Arthur Dias appears to be one of those picked out for special attention.
He’s also playing regularly at club level. The teenager is one of the standouts for an Athletico side sitting third in the Brazilian league.
A senior Brazil call-up would hardly help Spurs get that number down. Tottenham have done plenty of homework already and, according to Globo Esporte, intend to come back.
Arthur Dias’ progress with Brazil now gives them another reason to keep a very close eye on him.
