Atletico Madrid have reportedly beaten Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic.
With continued uncertainty over Harry Kane’s future in North London, Spurs had supposedly identified Vlahovic as an ideal candidate to lead the line in the event of the England captain’s departure.
Inter Milan were rumoured to have been interested before striking a deal for Edin Dzeko, and Fiorentina intended to tie Vlahovic down to fresh terms amid interest from top European clubs.
However, Corriere dello Sport claims that Atletico have now agreed a €70m (£59.6m) deal to sign the Serbian from La Viola, forcing Tottenham to look elsewhere in their striker search.
Spurs’ pursuit of Lautaro Martinez also appears to be dead in the water following the latest update from the Argentine’s agent, and the Lilywhites are said to have turned their attention to Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite.
Vlahovic prepares to leave Fiorentina after netting 21 goals in Serie A last season, and he kicked off the 2021-22 campaign with a brace in a Coppa Italia victory against Cosenza at the weekend.