Tottenham Hotspur 'were close to signing Gerard Deulofeu before injury'

Tottenham Hotspur reportedly moved to the brink of signing Udinese winger Gerard Deulofeu during the January transfer window.

Throughout the first month of 2023, it was widely claimed that Antonio Conte wanted to strengthen his options in the final third.

Spurs ultimately secured a deal for Villarreal's Arnaut Danjuma, who has arrived in North London on a loan deal until the end of the campaign.

The Netherlands international marked his arrival by netting on his debut against Preston North End in the FA Cup fourth round last weekend.

However, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Spurs almost signed an alternative to the former Bournemouth attacker.

© Reuters

Deulofeu has enjoyed a productive campaign in Serie A during 2022-23, contributing two goals and six assists from his 16 appearances.

That was until the Spaniard sustained a serious knee injury ahead of a potential switch to North London, subsequently ruling him out in the long term.

Romano claims that negotiations were "very, very advanced", indicating that the playmaker was in line to make a return to the Premier League.

Before making the switch to Udinese, Deulofeu had been representing Watford, starring during the 2018-19 campaign as the Hornets reached the FA Cup final.

© Reuters

Combined with his time at Everton, Deulofeu has chipped in with 20 goals and 24 assists from 127 appearances in England's top flight.

In comparison, 20 strikes and 16 assists have come in 80 outings in Serie A, the former Barcelona man also spending a brief time at AC Milan.

The proposed deal was arguably helped by Spurs recently conducting business with their Udinese counterparts to sign Destiny Udogie.

Having penned a long-term contract with Spurs, the 20-year-old was allowed to remain in Italy for a further season, recording two goals and two assists from his 16 league outings this season.