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Tottenham Hotspur may be handed a golden opportunity to hijack a deal for Antonio Nusa from under Arsenal’s nose.
Spurs were exploring a move for Nusa throughout the summer, and the Lilywhites may be kicking themselves after failing to get a deal done for the Norwegian winger.
This is because the pacy wide man has had an exceptional start to the season, having managed 10 goal contributions in just 12 appearances for RB Leipzig so far.
Some outlets have said over recent weeks that the 21-year-old’s price has shot up to at least £60m and his fine form has also attracted the attention of Tottenham’s North London rivals.
Over recent weeks, it has been reported that Arsenal have moved to the front of the queue in the race to sign the Leipzig star.
A new report in TuttoMercatoWeb has now confirmed that the Gunners are ‘serious’ about a deal for Nusa, having identified him as the man to bolster their frontline.
Arsenal are ‘confident’ that they can bring the 21-year-old to London, but their pursuit of the winger has hit a stumbling block.
Mikel Arteta’s men want to pay just €55m (£46m) for Nusa, but Leipzig are demanding €70m (£58.5m) for their star winger.
The Bundesliga club’s valuation remains ‘the main obstacle’ for Arsenal in doing a January deal for the Norway international. Spurs may thus have an opportunity to potentially overtake their fierce rivals by paying up what Leipzig are demanding.
Mathys Tel has delivered some frustrating performances this season, but the Frenchman showed at Stamford Bridge how good he can be if he discovers his confidence.
Roberto De Zerbi has made it clear that he rates the Frenchman very highly, and wants to see him continue to push to fulfil his potential.
The Tottenham boss said about Tel after his performance against Chelsea: “He has to push, to push, to push, to keep going, because he’s a talent. He has to clean the last 30 metres, the last decision, the last pass, the shot. He has an unbelievable shot. I believe in Mathys, maybe more than he believes in himself.”
The Italian may thus not want to block Tel’s development path by bringing a big-money left-winger through the door in January.