Tottenham Transfer News: Mousa Dembele Inter Talks Rumoured Amid UCL Clash

Inter Milan director of football Piero Ausilio is reportedly hopeful of conducting talks with Tottenham Hotspur regarding the potential January signing of Mousa Dembele while the north Londoners are in town this week.

Spurs travelled to Italy to face the Nerazzurri in their opening UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday, and Calciomercato.it (h/t Sport Witness) reported Inter could use the occasion to open Dembele negotiations.

Sport Witness referred to a report in the summer that Dembele—who was then valued at €30 million—turned down a move to the San Siro, but Spurs may be more open to selling as the 31-year-old edges toward the end of his contract in June.

The Independent's Jack Pitt-Brooke reported in April that Dembele was open to leaving England for Italy or China rather than enter the last year of his deal. However, Spurs failed to sign a player in the summer, so a departure for one of their more seasoned stars was perhaps never on the cards.

Tottenham lost 2-1 at home to Liverpool on Saturday, and sportswriter Andrew Gaffney mused that Dembele and Eric Dier were very similar in their work, so it's possible the Englishman could help replace his Belgian team-mate:

But Dembele is in an elite class among possession-oriented midfielders, and Inter manager Luciano Spalletti may understandably look forward to pairing him with international compatriot Radja Nainggolan.

Nainggolan moved to the San Siro from AS Roma in June, and it's foreseeable that Dembele's passing talents could see his career extended in Serie A, which could favour his attributes more as he ages.

Goal's Neil Jones was emphatic when describing the Spurs star's power in the loss to Liverpool:

The north London club had an interesting method of discerning whether Dembele was officially the strongest from within their ranks:

Despite adding Nainggolan to their ranks, it's evident Inter are intent to improve their midfield further after being linked with Barcelona's Rafinha, Real Madrid's Luka Modricand Bayern Munich's Arturo Vidal (before his transfer to Barca) in recent months.

Dembele's diminishing deal in north London only has nine months left, but it seems unlike Spurs to panic and sell one who remains an important player before the summer, while it's possible he could still extend his stay.