Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a blow in their pursuit of one of their key transfer targets.
Spurs missed out on Champions League qualification in the 2023/24 season after a terrible end to the campaign. They won just two of their last seven games in the Premier League.
That proved to everyone that Tottenham need reinforcements in multiple areas of the pitch, and they are expected to be active in this summer’s transfer window.
A new defender will be high on Ange Postecoglou’s wish list, but there is some bad news coming their way about one of their targets.
Riccardo Calafiori decides on his next club after Tottenham links
Riccardo Calafiori has been one of the most impressive defenders at Euro 2024 so far.
The Bologna defender started on the left side of central defence for Italy in their opening game against Albania, and he was fantastic.
Tottenham have been linked with a move to sign Calafiori for a few months now.
Postecoglou is on the lookout for a versatile defender – one who can not only play in the heart of the defence but also at left-back.
As a result, Calafiori was viewed as perfect for Tottenham, but there is some bad news for Spurs fans who were hoping for this deal to happen this summer.
TuttoJuve claim that Tottenham have expressed their interest in signing Calafiori in ‘recent days’. Spurs made it clear that they are prepared to pay as much as £38 million for his signature, a fee that Bologna are happy to accept.
However, there is a problem – Calafiori has no interest in joining Tottenham.
The report claims that the ‘powerful‘ Italian has made it clear that he wants to join Juventus this summer, where his old boss Thiago Motta has taken charge as the club’s new manager.
Tottenham are set to miss out on another Italian player too
As things stand, it looks like Calafiori will not be joining Tottenham even though Spurs are ready to pay what’s required to sign him.
That is a shame as the 22-year-old would’ve been a fantastic addition to Postecoglou’s system.
Spurs will have to look elsewhere for alternative defensive targets, but unfortunately for them, it looks like another Italian player will not be heading to North London either.
Tottenham have been heavily linked with a move to sign Alessandro Buongiorno, who, like Calafiori, is a versatile defender.
However, reports have emerged that Buongiorno has agreed to join Napoli, where former Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is at the helm now.