Postecoglou delight as top Tottenham target drops hint at summer move and explains failure to join London rivals

Tottenham have seemingly been given the green light to sign Chelsea and Brentford target Antonio Nusa this summer with the player open to the possibility of leaving Club Brugge and with the Norwegian having offered a detailed account of how his January move to the Gtech Community Stadium failed to materialise.

The 18-year-old is regarded as one of the top upcoming talents in the game, having established himself as a real star in the Jupiler Pro League with some eye-catching displays for Les Gazelles. And having already also earned four senior international caps for Norway, he is seen – alongside Man City’s Oscar Bobb and the more established Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland  – as being among a core of players capable of leading the Scandinavian nation into a bright era.

As a result, interest in acquiring his services has grown enormously over recent months, with Chelsea, Tottenham and Brentford among those linked with his signature.

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However, with Tottenham’s focus in January on more first-team ready players and Chelsea deciding to keep their powder dry, it was the Bees who stole a march on their London rivals in a quest to land on Nusa‘s services.

Unfortunately for Brentford, and despite widespread talks with Thomas Frank’s side, who struck on a deal worth around €30m with Club Brugge, the move broke down over claims the teenage winger had failed a fitness test amid concerns over a weakness in one of his knees.

Nusa has since battled back from that transfer disappointment to continue playing a leading role for Brugge, though sadly for the player, the goals have dried up in recent months.

Tottenham target Nusa opens door to summer transfer

Nonetheless, the player has refused to rule out a possible move to the Premier League this summer after coming clean on the factors behind the breakdown of his move to Brentford.

He insists claims of a knee injury scuppering the move are wide of the mark, but has opened up on the concrete interest in his services when admitting he always preferred the idea of a summer move, rather than a January one, anyway.

“First and foremost, I had always intended to stay here until the summer. That also makes it much easier today,” Nusa told Het Laatste Nieuws.

“Suddenly a lot started to move. I spoke a few times with Brentford, including the coach [Thomas Frank], and was very excited. In the end, it didn’t happen – it’s things you can’t control.”

Asked directly about perceived knee-injury issues, Nusa added: “That’s what it was about. All I can say is that I am 100% fit and never had any problems with that knee. In the end, it also became clear that there was no problem.”

With the summer window set to open for business in just over two months’ time, Nusa will once again be the subject of plenty of transfer speculation, especially from clubs in and around the Premier League.

Asked about having any thoughts on a summer move, Nusa added: “That wouldn’t help me in any case, no. I’m trying to do my job now. And I told my brokers that I don’t want to make a choice at the moment. Or can’t make one!”

The teenager, though, appears open to the idea of leaving the Belgian side in the summer.

“I really can’t say what will happen. This season I had to miss a lot of matches. Now I want to play as much as possible. I can’t rule out staying here, but I also can’t rule out leaving. At the moment everything is open.”

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