Tottenham have hit yet another road bump in their pursuit of midfield maestros. With a dismal transfer window in which they signed absolutely nobody, fans will hope that January offers a different outcome.
However, if Daniel Levy has been working behind the scenes to secure the signatures of Inter's Marcelo Brozovic and Frenkie de Jong of Ajax, his time has been somewhat wasted.
Italian publication Calcio Mercato report that I Nerazzurri are to offer their Croat an improved deal, that would see him continue with the club until 2021. As part of the contract, his €50m release clause would be removed, throwing a spanner into Tottenham's works.
Looking to rebuild and challenge perennial champions Juventus in Serie A, Inter boss Luciano Spalletti has been given major finance to play with by the Suning Holdings Group. Bringing in Radja Nainggolan from Roma, many thought Brozovic's time was up at the Giuseppe Meazza.
175 - Marcelo Brozovic has completed the most passes in the opposite half in Serie A current season (175), at least 56 more than any other player. Key. pic.twitter.com/2jQiziwMfB
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) September 5, 2018
However, with Champions League football this year - rather interestingly drawn in the same group as Spurs - Inter will need quality depth in their squad. It appears that the man from Zagreb is part of their plans going forward.
In another potential deal, Tottenham had hoped to lure highly rated starlet Frenkie de Jong away from the Netherlands. The 21-year-old has been the apple of PSG and Barcelona's eye, but Mauricio Pochettino is also interested.
With Marc Overmars saying his player wasn't going anywhere in the summer transfer window, rumours will no doubt spark back up in time for start of next year. Even if Spurs are looking to put down a €50m bid, Mundo Deportivo explains why La Blaugrana are still hot favourites.
Ajax's director of football has close contacts in Catalonia, and may feel the most agreeable bid will come from his previous side. With De Jong's intelligent movement and fantastic ball play, Barcelona seems a great fit for both parties.