Despite the rumours suggesting otherwise, it’s unlikely Tottenham made a genuine bid to sign Allan in January. He wouldn’t come cheap, nor would he be likely to make the move as it wouldn’t be a step-up.
The Napoli midfielder has been in a regular in Serie A, is considered a key player at the Stadio San Paolo and renewed his deal at the club just nine months ago.
He’s shown no desire to leave, is on his way to achieving legendary status among supporters and still has slim hope of winning the Serie A title this season – Napoli are second and nine points adrift of Juventus.
Tottenham were linked with the midfielder in November as the future of Mousa Dembele was uncertain. The latter is now nearing a move to Beijing Guoan and talk has resurfaced.
The rumours have been shut down by Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti, however. As per Goal, the Italian boss said: “They have nothing, Allan is our player. We don’t need to discuss anything with the president, because there are no big moves on the horizon.
“I hope the transfer window closes soon so we can all focus on our football. I have never been concerned about losing Allan, because he had a fantastic first half of the season and we hope he’ll do even better for us going forward.”
Mauricio Pochettino will be linked with a host of central midfielders this month and next summer, as Victor Wanyama could yet be leaving Tottenham in the near future, but Tottenham are yet to zero in on an obvious target. Allan was never a realistic signing, regardless of Ancelotti reaffirming in his comments.
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
Opinion: Two key reasons why Tottenham won’t sign £26.6m player in January