Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul has rejected the opportunity to join Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the next season, according to the Italian news outlet TuttoMercatoWeb.
Tottenham have reportedly tabled an offer to De Paul despite bringing in Yves Bissouma from Brighton and Hove Albion for an initial £25million fee with an additional £10million in add-ons (Sky Sports).
The Atleti player’s future has been the subject of speculation despite only moving to Wanda Metropolitano from Udinese last summer.
De Paul has been linked with a move elsewhere, but it has now been claimed that the Argentine international only ‘wants to stay at Atletico’ beyond this transfer window. In fact, he is said to have refused offers from several European sides including Spurs and Fiorentina, who are also interested in facilitating a move for the central midfielder.
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It would have been a surprise to see the Argentinian midfielder leave anyway, having become a key part of Diego Simeone’s plans. In fact, his time in Spain has also helped De Paul to further cement his starting spot in Lionel Scaloni’s national team, which is crucial with the 2022 Qatar World Cup being set to take place later this year.
Hence, moving to another club would have been risky when things were going well for De Paul with Simeone’s team. Then again, it is quite understandable why we have decided to target the central midfielder as we are a bit shorthanded in terms of the options available as of now.
Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele’s time at N17 has come to an end as they were left out of the pre-season squad recently (Metro). That leaves us with Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur and Bissouma as our only midfield options.
With the added weight of the Champions League, coupled with the congested fixtures that are in line to follow next season, signing another midfielder would certainly make sense. That is especially the case now that Conte can make five substitutions to his lineup in the campaign up ahead.
Keeping the squad fresh throughout the season is just as important, so signing De Paul would have certainly helped in that regard. Unfortunately, we have to end this pursuit and look elsewhere at other options to meet our needs.
The 28-year-old is also contracted with the Spanish side for four more years, which makes it difficult for Antonio Conte’s side to change this decision in any way possible.
