Tottenham are eyeing Dutch international play-maker Wesley Sneijder in a bargain deal this January.
Tottenham Hotspur missed out on a lot of their transfer targets last summer; most notably Joao Moutinho. Although they did manage to sign Clint Dempsey and Mousa Dembele, they are yet to replace Luka Modric, who left for Real Madrid in the summer.
Joao Moutinho was Andre Villas Boas’ first preference, but Porto’s demands have now made the transfer very unlikely. Tottenham will be forced to look elsewhere for a creative midfielder and Wesley Sneijder fits the bill perfectly.
It was not long back when Sneijder was considered as one of the best players in the world and a front runner for Ballon d’Or after he won the treble with Inter Milan and then followed that up with some wonderful performances in the World Cup. But off-late things have changed.
The Dutchman has been out-casted from the first team by Inter’s management – not because he has become a lesser player but because he has denied to take a pay-cut. The Italian club wants to reduce the wage the midfielder is on and this has resulted in a wrangle.
Sneijder has made only five appearances in the Serie A so far and his last appearance for his club came in September in a match against Chievo. The 28-year-old is expected to leave in January as he looks for a fresh start to his career.
Sneijder’s wife, Yolanthe Cabau has publicly stated in an interview to a Dutch newspaper that they are “looking for a nice place”:
“We are about to emigrate.
“It should happen in early January and we are looking for a nice place for our family.”
Manchester United were heavily linked with a move for the midfield maestro in the summer as Alex Ferguson looked to add creativity to the midfield. But any deal failed to materialize as Inter held on to their high transfer fee demands.
Inter are expected to let go of Sneijder in a much cheaper deal in the January as they look to reduce their wage bills. But a transfer to United now seems unlikely, as Robin van Persie doesn’t get along too well with his compatriot.
This will leave the door open for new suitors and Tottenham are trying to exploit this situation in the winter transfer window. Inter are reportedly looking for a £10 million bid for the Dutchman; less than half of what they were demanding last summer.
At this price Sneijder will be a major coup for the London club, but they are sure to face competition from other European super weights.
According to reports in Mirror, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is looking to make a big name signing in January as they push for Champions League qualification spot in the Premier League, and the Dutchman has now been placed on the top of the priority list.
Sneijder, if he arrives, will certainly be on the biggest signing in the history of Tottenham Hotspur.
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