Boca make late play to keep £14.5m Colombian from Spurs switch

Boca Juniors are doing all they can to prevent star midfielder Wilmar Barrios from joining Tottenham this summer.

The Colombia star is thought to have agreed a move to Mauricio Pochettino’s side after the World Cup, with Spurs said to have activated the release clause in his contract, which stands at just under £14.5million.

But the Argentinian giants are refusing to let Barrios leave without a fight and the Independent reports they have vowed to offer him a significant rise in wages in a bid to keep hold of him for their upcoming Copa Libertadores campaign.

The South American version of the Champions League begins again in August and Boca are desperate to keep both Barrios and West Ham target Cristian Pavon for the tournament.

It’s claimed Barrios told Boca he will give their offer some thought before leaving for the World Cup, but since linking up with his national squad, the messages have become rather muddled, with Spurs and Colombia defender Davinson Sanchez doing his all to talk his teammate into joining him in north London.

And sources close to Barrios on Saturday claimed the player would find it hard to turn down a life-changing financial offer from Tottenham.

The 24-year-old has only established himself as a major star in the past 18 months and the offer from Tottenham is said to be seriously higher than anything Boca could afford.

That appears to have put Tottenham in the driving seat, with his arrival expected to coincide with the departure of Mousa Dembele from the club, with a €30m switch to Serie A edging closer.

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