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Tottenham have decided to end their pursuit of Roam midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, admitting that his price tag is now more than they can afford.
The 20 year old international has been on Spurs radar for some time, and, last summer, they were investigating a potential swap deal with Toby Alderweireld.
However, he is also one of the most prized young players in Serie A, and with Roma valuing him at £62 million, that is beyond the reach of Spurs in the current financial climate.
Last week the team was forced to take out a £175 million loan from the Bank of England to help them deal with the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis, which, it is estimated, could cost them up to £200 million in lost revenue.
Roma themselves are facing there are own financial problems and are willing to sell their prized asset, but there are likely to be few buyers at that price in the current market as Spurs manager Jose Mourinho has recognised saying “I don’t see the world and especially the football world, ready for crazy numbers that we are used to and crazy investments that some clubs and leagues are used to doing.”
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.