Spurs ready to pounce as Barca rule out Rossi deal
Published:Barcelona’s decision to remove themselves from the chase of Giuseppe Rossi from Villarreal has opened the door to Tottenham to take the initiative.
Rossi’s agent Federico Pastorello has confirmed that the striker will not be heading to the Nou Camp, but does have other options available to him.
Tottenham are likely to be one of these options, bearing in mind they have been admirers of Rossi in the past and are known to be in the hunt for a new striker.
This hunt for another striker may only increase in the coming days as rumours suggest that Roman Pavlyuchenko could be set for a return to Russia to Anzhi Makhachkala, with the super-rich club ready to table a £13m bid.
However, Atletico Madrid may also be interested in taking Rossi to Spain, particularly if they do sell Sergio Aguero, with Juventus potentially preparing an offer thought to be in the region of £35m.
Pastorello said of the Barcelona situation: “It’s a deal that is definitely off. We are now evaluating a number of options for Rossi’s future, but we can’t rule out the possibility that he could remain at Villarreal.
“How much will he cost? His valuation is that of a top player.”
Fernando Llorente is another striker on the Spurs radar, but the London outfit may face a struggle in getting Atletico Bilbao to sell their star asset, particularly when they have no real need to.
The Spanish international striker would be the cheaper of the two options, but would still probably set Tottenham back somewhere close to £25m.
Breaking back into the top four this season would be the ultimate goal for Tottenham and it is 11/4 in the Premier League odds that they achieve this outcome.
Meanwhile, it is 5/6 that they get their season off to the perfect start with a home victory against Everton on the opening day of the campaign.
