Inter Milan, Juventus Reportedly Interested in Signing Tottenham's Mousa Dembele
November 29, 2018
Italian giants Inter Milan and Juventus are both reportedly interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele, but the Serie A clubs have concerns over his contract demands.
According to Fabrizio Romano of Calciomercato.com, the 31-year-old "seems determined to leave" Spurs and is seeking a deal elsewhere worth up to €8 million (£7.1 million) per season.
Dembele's deal in north London expires at the end of the season.
He has rejected every offer of new terms from Spurs because he wants a significant increase on his €5 million yearly salary. But neither Inter nor Juve will be prepared to match the huge figures he wants, per Romano. Nor are they prepared to pay a potential €2 million (£1.8 million) in bonuses for his entourage.
If Dembele lowers his demands, though, he could end up plying his trade in Serie A.
The Belgium international has been at Spurs since 2012 and has been a key player under manager Mauricio Pochettino as they have established themselves as a top-four side in the Premier League.
An ankle injury means Dembele is not set to return to action until January at the earliest:
Sky Sports News @SkySportsNews"It is always about the patience, how he is going to react to the injury but we hope he is going to be ready by the early January." Will @SpursOfficial miss the Belgian midfielder? Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele out until 2019 with ankle injury: https://t.co/bUtzIvypvA https://t.co/mWGjeVvvAW
Because of his contract situation at Spurs, Dembele can open talks with foreign clubs from January about a summer transfer.
He will likely need to be playing again before Inter or Juve would commit to signing him, so his recovery—as well as his contract demands—could play a key role in his future.
Per Romano, Dembele has also attracted interest from China, where there are a number of clubs who might be open to paying him what he wants.
But if the Belgian wishes to remain playing for a top club in Europe, he may have to lower his wage expectations.