Promise of role change from Ancelotti vital in star rejecting Tottenham advances

Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio rejected a summer transfer to Tottenham because he feels determined to succeed in Spain, a report claims.

Spurs enjoyed an impressive window, adding recruits in key areas. Pierluigi Gollini has bolstered their goalkeeping ranks, while Bryan Gil added another option to their attack. However, boss Nuno Espirito Santo then sanctioned a late swoop for former Barcelona full-back Emerson Royal on deadline day.

Still, reports claimed that a number of midfielders had become targets for the manager.

Brighton’s Yves Bissouma, Sporting’s Joao Palhinha and Lyon’s Houssem Aouar were among them.

According to Marca, Spain interntional Asensio also featured on Tottenham’s radar.

The Spanish source claims that Spurs and AC Milan ‘looked to’ the Madrid man to beef up their squads. While the newspaper does not state if Tottenham made an offer, it adds that Asensio flatly rejected the idea of leaving Madrid.

Instead, he wanted to stay and fight for his place amid the competition for game time at the La Liga giants.

Furthermore, new Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti also played a part. The manager wants to move Asensio to the centre of the pitch from his traditional forward roles in a bid to increase his influence.

Up top, Madrid have Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard, Vinicius Junior and a new-look Gareth Bale at their disposal.

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As such, Marca claims that Madrid believe Asensio’s move ‘could work well for all parties’.

Asensio, 25, moved to Madrid in 2015. He announced himself with a long-range strike in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup, his first competitive game for the club.

But he would go on to make history. Indeed, Asensio became the first Madrid player to score on debut in five different competitions.

He also netted in his first outings in La Liga, the Champions League, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. Overall, he has made 196 appearances for Madrid, playing in midfield in each of this season’s first three league games.

Tottenham should understand Kane desire

Elsewhere, pundit Noel Whelan believes that Tottenham’s players should understand Harry Kane over his attempts to leave this summer.

The England captain wanted to move to Manchester City this summer, in what would have been a British record transfer.

However, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy stood firm over the player’s £160million fee, which City refused to pay.

Amid his focus switching back to Tottenham, Whelan has insisted that players should not look wrongly at Kane for his decisions.