Romano reveals Tottenham transfer has ‘basically collapsed’ as Ange Postecoglou ‘pivots’

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that attempts from Tottenham to buy Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo have “basically collapsed”.

Spurs had a very successful summer transfer window with Ange Postecoglou bringing in some of the signings of the summer.

Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have been three of their best players this season, while Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski both completed permanent moves after spending part of last season on loan.

And Postecoglou and the Tottenham recruitment team are keen to take that momentum into the January transfer window with a number of names being linked this month.

The Spurs boss, who has overseen a successful start to his time in north London, is hopeful of bringing in a new centre-back in this window to add extra depth in that department.

And Romano – who had already revealed that Genoa defender Radu Dragusin had “said yes” to Tottenham – insists that a potential deal for another centre-back option, Nice’s Todibo, has now “basically collapsed”.

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Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “I think Radu Dragusin moving from Genoa to Tottenham is now more than a possibility – it’s not done yet, but it’s progressing really well. There is a constant contact between the two clubs, the conversation is very positive, and the player has also said yes to Tottenham, while Ange Postecoglou is also a big fan of Dragusin.

“We know that Jean-Clair Todibo was also a top target for Tottenham, but Nice are not open to selling the player in January, so that deal has basically collapsed now. The conversations between Tottenham and Genoa are more positive, with the Italian club looking for something like €30m, while Spurs are offering more like €23m, so it’s a verbal conversation, nothing official at the moment, so let’s see how it progresses in the next few days.”

And CBS Sports journalist Jonathan Johnson also brought an update on Todibo’s future and claims Tottenham will “pivot” to Dragusin.

Johnson wrote in his Caught Offside column: “Jean-Clair Todibo was a top target for Tottenham in January but that now looks to have collapsed. I understand the interest in him after his fine form at Nice, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea also linked with the player, but I can’t see Nice selling him this January.

“Nice are doing well in Ligue 1 at the moment, so this was always going to make it a tricky deal for any clubs to get done this January. Todibo and Nice are probably both prepared to stay together for the next few months and then come to a decision in the summer.

“Wherever Todibo goes next, he’ll want to play in continental competition, and, depending on where Nice finish, it could be that it will make sense for him to stay there a little longer. But the clubs that are interested, I don’t think their interest is going to go away overnight, and if anything more clubs could join the race in the months ahead, giving him more of a choice of suitors if he moves in the summer than if he moves this month.

“Tottenham seem to have pivoted to Radu Dragusin of Genoa now after realising how difficult it was going to be to prise Todibo away, and I don’t think Nice are going to make it any easier for any other clubs.

“Overall I see him staying until the end of the season and then moving on, but it depends on where Nice finish and also on their long-term project because Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment in Manchester United will probably continue to develop and strengthen and that will have repercussions at Nice.”