Tottenham Hotspur will sanction the departure of Dele Alli before the deadline shuts on February 1 on one condition – they need to bring Christian Eriksen back to the club first.
That is according to a report from The Mirror, who claim Daniel Levy will not allow Alli to leave without a replacement arriving first.
Eriksen, who left Tottenham for Inter Milan last January, is the number one target, with Levy concerned due to Giovani Lo Celso’s injury.
PSG boss and former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is said to be desperate to bring Alli to the French capital this month. PSG sporting director Leonardo shares that enthusiasm. Alli and Jose Mourinho are open to parting ways but Levy is holding up the deal.
Eriksen has struggled to find his place at Inter since the move last summer but in recent games has become a more driving force for the Nerazzurri.
Just yesterday, the Italian side’s CEO Giuseppe Marotta poured serious cold water on any suggestion that the Dane might be leaving before the end of the transfer window.
“As (Inter manager) Antonio Conte said, if there are some players who are unhappy and want to find other clubs, it’s not right to withhold them,” Marotta told DAZN, as relayed by Sky Sports.
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“We do not have any of those situations. Therefore, this is the squad we will have at our disposal until the end of the season.”
His return would not be cheap, with Eriksen reportedly (talkSPORT) on wages of £300,000-a-week.
Eriksen left Tottenham looking for a new challenge a year ago.
Speaking after Eriksen’s exit, Mourinho was quoted by Football.London as calling Eriksen ‘a fantastic player’ who should be remembered fondly by Tottenham fans.
No doubt plenty would welcome him back, especially if he can recapture some of his best form in a Tottenham shirt.
However, with Inter seemingly not ready to budge, it would appear that Eriksen will remain where he is and Alli will share the same fate at Spurs.