Tottenham Hotspur have backed out of the race to sign Everton target Andre Gomes, according to the Daily Mail.
The English newspaper understand the North London outfit no longer plan on rivalling us in the race for the FC Barcelona midfielder, despite being impressed by the 25-year-old’s displays in Royal Blue while on loan here.
Instead, Spurs are thought to be turning their attention to signing Leicester City’s James Maddison using the potential windfall they are set to receive for reaching the Champions League Final.
With Mauricio Pochettino’s side out of the running, that leaves just West Ham and us as the only teams vying for Gomes’ signature, according to the Daily Mail at least.
RAC1 journalist Gerard Romero, however, has suggested Arsenal are still in the race, with the Gunners currently calculating the benefits of an approach.
Although, the Emirates Stadium natives may struggle to present the €30million (£26.4m) Romero hinted at, as they are bound for a third-straight year in the Europa League and with it will be hamstrung by a vastly reduced budget.
As for the Irons, they are expected to promptly return to Barcelona’s negotiating table with an offer closer to the £30million mark, having seen an opening bid of £18m rejected by the La Liga champions.
Irons manager Manuel Pellegrini is thought to have pinpointed Gomes as his priority signing now, as well, and intends to act fast alongside his Director of Football Mario Husillos to get a deal finalised before we engage in a bidding war.
A bidding war may be on the cards regardless, though, as we are still expected to make a move for someone Marco Silva has regularly shared his desires of retaining.
But Director of Football Marcel Brands cannot rely on a rumoured ‘option’ to buy as part of Gomes’ loan agreement, as Mundo Deportivo have shared claims that the clause is not an obligation on Barca’s side, and that the Catalan colossus intends to sell to the highest bidder as they search for at least €25m (£22m).