Levy talks with QSI gather pace as journalist reveals Tottenham plans to capture exciting Brazilian forward
Qatar Sports Investments are reportedly hopeful of striking a deal to buy into Tottenham after a series of talks with Daniel Levy over the past week.
The Paris Saint-Germain owners are desperate to break out into the Premier League by striking a partial agreement with an established club. Indeed, they have previously been linked with Leeds United around the time the club were pushing for promotion to the Premier League.
However, links with Leeds have cooled somewhat with Tottenham now reportedly their main focus of attention.
And after holding a series of talks with Tottenham chairman Levy last week, there is a growing belief that an agreement can soon be struck.
Middle Eastern influence on the Premier League is rapidly growing. Manchester City and Newcastle are owned by groups from Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, respectively.
Now Spurs could be about to join that list with investment from Qatar.
Per Ben Jacobs of CBS Sport,talks between Levy and QSI chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi are at the early stages.
And while they are also reportedly still exploring the possibility of other sides, reports claim Spurs are at the top of their wishlist.
But the Gulf State are determined to expand their interests into the Premier League in 2023. They also own 23% of Portuguese side Braga, while South America are also on their radar.
However, investment in the Premier League remains at the top of their agenda. Liverpool and Manchester United are both currently open to further investment themselves, though QSI are not reportedly in talks with the Merseysiders.
And should a deal with Tottenham be struck, it will likely elevate them to among the Premier League’s very wealthiest clubs.
QSI deal to elevate Tottenham into Prem super-club
Their supporters have, surprisingly, expressed concern with the direction the club is going in, having recently written to Levy. But, through to the Champions League last 16, playing in a £1bn stadium and sitting fifth in the Premier League, other sides are struggling to understand such negativity.
Nonetheless, any deal with QSI could seriously elevate Tottenham’s spending capacity. Levy has backed Antonio Conte with close to £200m over his first two transfer windows in charge.
That has seen the club make genuine progress, qualifying ahead of Arsenal for the Champions League with a fourth-place finish.
But investment from Qatar would not only cement their status as Champions League regulars. It would also place them right among the Premier League’s fat cats.
Any such move, though, is unlikely to go through in time to affect their plans for the January transfer window.
Nonetheless, Tottenham are pressing ahead with plans to strengthen their squad this month.
Tottenham linked with move for Tete
Monday’s Transfer Gossip claimed Conte is pressing ahead with plans to sign a new goalkeeper and attacker.
Now journalist Dean Jones has confirmed the Spurs boss is making the signing of a new forward his top priority.
A lack of options has meant Conte has been forced to throw Bryan Gil into the side of late.
However, they are now reportedly looking to land Brazilian forward Tete in January. The 22-year-old has been impressing while on loan with Lyon from Shakhtar.
He has six goals and three assists this season from 13 starts in Ligue 1. And speaking to Givemesport, Jones believes a deal to bring him to north London could be on the cards.
“Tete could be an option towards the back end of the window, he might offer some value,” he said.
“But the toughest thing to consider is, are any of those players actually up to the level to make up for the absence of Dejan Kulusevski?
“It’s really hard to guarantee that.”
Tete can operate off the right wing or in a more central role. And a recent report in the Daily Mail suggested his signing would set Spurs back around £25m.
