It’s Daniel Levy again.

“Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to negotiate a reduced price for Dejan Kulusebski as talks between the clubs continue,” Italian outlet Football Italia reported on Saturday (April 16).

The Swedish-born Kulusebski made his professional debut in the 2018-19 season after spending time in the youth ranks at Atalanta. He earned a Juventus shirt just one season later, but was loaned out to Parma Calcio to gain experience. Kulusebski showed his potential, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists in 36 appearances.

After returning from his loan, Kulusebski began to earn a regular role at Juventus last season. Kulusebski played 35 games in Serie A in 2020-21, mostly on the right flank of the team. However, he didn’t quite live up to expectations. During his loan spell at Parma, Kulusebski shone mainly in counter-attacks, but at Juventus, his strengths weren’t being utilized because he was often in possession.

However, Antonio Conte recognized his strengths and pushed for his signature. Tottenham signed Kulusebski on loan from Juventus in the 2022 winter transfer window. It was an £8 million ($12.7 million) loan deal that ran until June 2023.

The deal included an outright transfer option. Tottenham could buy the player outright by paying Juventus a £30 million transfer fee before the end of the loan period. There was also an option to trigger a full transfer if certain conditions were met.

Based on his performances last season, it’s fair to say that a full transfer is in order. Despite only joining the club in the winter, Kuluszewski scored five goals and provided eight assists last season, helping the team to a fourth-place finish. However, based on his performance this season, I have my doubts. Kulusebski has just two goals and six assists in the league. His impact on the game has also diminished significantly.

Nevertheless, the Spurs will keep him on board. However, there is a problem. The outright transfer option hasn’t been activated. “Instead of a 스포츠토토 conditional €35 million sale, the deal is linked to both playing time and qualification for the UEFA Champions League (UCL),” explained Football Italia.

This means that if Kuluczewski makes a certain number of appearances and Tottenham qualifies for the UEFA UCL, the option to buy will be triggered. However, Tottenham failed to qualify for the UEFA UCL this season, finishing eighth.

Levy saw this as an opportunity. According to Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, “Tottenham have made a proposal for a €10 million discount on Kuluczewski. They hope to pay Juventus only €25 million ($34.7 million) for the player.”

It’s an embarrassing move for Juventus. “Juventus are not interested in the offer. Instead of accepting €25 million, they would prefer to sell elsewhere. Negotiations between the two clubs are ongoing, but if Tottenham want to sign Kuluczewski, they will have to increase their offer.”