‘Very, very close’: Spurs almost agreed deal for ‘incredible’ £40m player before Levy walked away – journalist

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Journalist Sami Mokbel has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur actually came very, very close to signing David Raya from Brentford this summer, with the two sides getting extremely close in their valuations of the goalkeeper.

Mokbel was speaking on the Last Word on Spurs podcast following the news this week that Tottenham have now signed Gugliemo Vicario.

It was always expected that Spurs would strengthen between the sticks this summer. Hugo Lloris’ form has been in decline for some time. And it was quite apparent that he needed replacing.

It seems that Vicario will be that man. But for much of the early stages of the summer, it appeared that David Raya was the player at the top of Tottenham’s wishlist.

Raya move to Tottenham was very, very close

In fact, the Evening Standard at one stage claimed that Raya was close to agreeing personal terms with Spurs. But there was always one issue.

Reports from The Sun suggested that Brentford wanted £40 million for Raya. Tottenham meanwhile, had hoped to pay £20 million for the Spaniard ahead of the final year of his contract.

Ultimately, Ange Postecoglou’s men did turn their attention elsewhere. But Mokbel has suggested that they came extremely close to getting Raya across the line.

“It looks like it’s not going to happen now, unless they go left-field and bring in two goalkeepers. But that was one that was very, very close,” he told Last Word on Spurs when asked about Raya.

“They were haggling over a matter of millions of pounds. But in the end, it was pretty clear that Daniel Levy decided no, they didn’t want to pay the £40 million that Brentford were insisting on.”

There is going to be plenty of pressure on Vicario next season. Lloris had been poor for some time. But he remains a legendary figure at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. And he will leave a huge void when he is no longer number one.

Vicario has played plenty of football in Serie A. And at 26, he is not someone who is still learning lots about his game. But he is surely not someone any Tottenham fans would have been talking about before this summer.

Raya meanwhile, is now established as an ‘incredible‘ performer in the Premier League. So for many, he would have been the safer option.

But clearly, Tottenham felt that a move for Vicario would be the better piece of business.