http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...st-ditch-165m-bid-for-brazilian-star-leandro- Tottenham will make a fresh £16.5 million move for Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao before the transfer window closes on Wednesday. Spurs made a £12m bid for the 22-year-old earlier in the summer but Internacional, his Brazilian club, were reluctant to let their star man leave before the end of their domestic season in December.Leandro appeared to commit his immediate future to Internacional by signing a new five-year contract in June but Spurs have been convinced to up their offer due to his stunning recent form. Spurs sources have told Goal.com that they still feel it is unlikely they will sign Damiao in this window but they hope to sign the youngster to replace Peter Crouch, who is the subject of a bid from Stoke and is also a target for Sunderland. Internacional president Giovanni Luigi appeared to offer encouragement to Spurs last week when he refused to rule out the possibility of the Brazil international leaving the Porto Alegre-based club this month. "We will see, we are going to wait. Right now, there is nothing about Damiao. We want him to stay, but I do not want to make a firm statement about this," Luigi told Radio Gaucha. However, Inter's board of directors was criticised in 2009 for selling Nilmar to Villarreal during the Brazilian season and many critics felt it cost the club the title at the time. Luigi says he has received the message and has spoken with confidence of Inter's desire to keep Damiao until at least January. Tottenham have been tracking Damiao for over a year and held extensive talks in May over a move for the youngster, who is also reported to have attracted interest from Barcelona, Arsenal, Benfica and Juventus. With Damiao's reputation reputation as one of the best young attacking players in South American football increasing by the game, Spurs fear they will be beaten to his signature if they wait until the January window to make a renewed bid. Tottenham have already completed the signing of Emmanuel Adebayor on a season-long from Manchester City but manager Harry Redknapp is eager to further improve his frontline. His side badly lacked a cutting edge up front as they were thrashed 5-1 by City at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Spurs believe they are the strongest position to sign Damiao due to their strategic partnership with Internacional, from whom they signed midfielder Sandro for £8m last summer. Sandro, who has been a huge success since breaking into the Spurs side, is a close friend of Damiao and has been trying to convince his compatriot to join him at White Hart Lane next season. However, Tottenham's chances of concluding a deal before the transfer window shuts are complicated by the fact that Damiao's economic rights are split, with Internacional owning 70 per cent of the rights and the player owning the other 30%. The forward has not reached the international appearance criteria to automatically qualify for a work permit and the club would need to be granted special dispensation to complete a switch to White Hart Lane.
Yes, I saw that as well. I'll hope for the best, but from the noises the Internacional chairman was making a couple of days ago about "abnormal bids" being needed, I doubt that £16.5mm is going to do it.
Do we not have a supposed first refusal policy regarding Damiao due to the special relationship with Inter? If so then all the talk about other clubs being interested is superficial until Spurs state that we don't want the player, which we clearly do right now. I say put the bid in and then either loan him back until the end of their season or just delay his joining until the January window. The important thing to do is to finalise the deal so we know that the player is coming to the club at some point in the next few months. Then we know that we have a promising young player coming on a permanent basis, rather than the likes of Adebayor who are only coming for a season.
I think, condensing all this, that the Internacional Chaiman is probably thinking of a larger number than we are. Like I said, I'll hope for the best, but I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.
As I put earlier, Luke. He was actually quoted as saying that it would take "an abnormal bid" for them to sell Leandro at the moment. As Canary said, it's probably lost something in translation. However, suffice to say that he's thinking of a large number. I don't know what, exactly. But, probably £20mm+ The prices in the striker market are just ridiculous at the moment. If players like Carroll are being sold for £35mm, you can see why he thinks he should get good money for Damiao.
if we had put a bid like this in two months ago it would have been accepted but now i cant see any offer being accept unless its over 20 million. You say carrol but his price was inflated because hes a young english talent
True, but he's young and relatively inexperienced, like Damiao. Unfortunately, rightly, or wrongly, other clubs are going to try and use that deal as a yardstick.
With Damiao only just breaking in to the senior Brazil squad surely any club that wants him is going to have some permit issues or is it only in GB that is required?
Clubs over here would use the "he has massive potential" statement to get the work permit, like Utd did for Anderson and we did for Sandro.
I think Levy has to make some real statements of intent here. If we are back in for this guy, he needs to make the deal happen big time!
it's a shame this hasn't been reported anywhere else in the last 24 hours. 1 report so far isn't filling me with too much confidence, but then again we know Levy likes to keep things quiet and has been known to pull something out the bag on T'fer day.
THis is a quiet period now ahead of the mayhem that is tomorrow. It is not the time for public pronouncements of intent, but hard quiet negotiation (at least that had better be what is going on )
Its a shame I'll miss deadline day. I'm working the next morning at half 6, so can't really stay up till midnight. Looking forward to Thursday to see if this deal will be completed.
