Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilón is set to join either Atlético Madrid or Fulham, after seeing a switch to Lazio fall by the wayside.
That’s according to Corriere Dello Sport, who say the Italian side did not have the ‘total conviction and the budget’ to sign the full-back.
They report that Lazio had been keen on Reguilón and held talks with Tottenham, facilitated by Fabio Paratici’s relationship with Claudio Lotito, but those ‘ran aground’ on Thursday evening.
That’s because the Lazio president asked for another reduction, despite Tottenham having agreed to a free loan if the player’s wages, €3.6m net, were covered.
Maurizio Sarri was also pushing for the deal to happen, but Lotito decided otherwise and Reguilón has gone in another direction.
Sensing an opportunity, Atlético have moved in and offered him a higher salary, the chance to return to Madrid, his hometown, and a spot in the Champions League.
They, though, need to first move Renan Lodi to Nottingham Forest, which will free up space for the defender in the squad and their budget.
That means Joorabchian is also handling other proposals, with Fulham and Sevilla, the latter a suitor following Reguilon’s loan spell there a few years ago.
They’re currently waiting to see what happens with Atlético, who have ‘not yet closed’ the deal with Tottenham and are still discussing the ‘figures of the agreement’.
They would presumably look for the same terms offered to Lazio, although they were favourable given Paratici’s relationship with Lotito and so could be changed.
Either way, nothing is closed as yet and Fulham and Sevilla are waiting in the wings should the Spaniards, like Lazio, fail to close it.
