Tottenham Hotspur will find it tough to sign Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez after the Dutch club’s Sporting Director confirmed that he’ll stay next season.
This comes after the Mexican source Jovenes Futbolistas MX stated that Spurs are planning to make a bid to sign him if they end up selling Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.
It has been stated that the Lilywhites are ready to pay a fee of around £34.6 million to sign the 22-year-old forward, who scored 23 goals in 45 appearances for the Eredivisie side last season.
But the Mexican source states that Feyenoord are currently valuing him at around £43.2 million which Spurs don’t seem to be able to agree with.
The North London club added Gimenez to their summer transfer list back in May itself, as per 90min.
This was at a time when they were also eyeing the possibility of appointing Feyenoord manager Arne Slot as their new permanent manager before Ange Postecoglou was appointed.
Spurs’ interest in the 23-year-old appears to be alive and well, but Feyenoord’s Dennis te Kloese doesn’t seem to think that he’ll leave.
In an interview with ESPN, he was asked if Gimenez was going to stay next season and said: “Yes. We have a long-term contract with him. I also honestly think, and I have known him for a long time, that it is best for him, from me, to gain experience here and play in the Champions League.
“In an ideal situation, Gimenez is just a Feyenoord player. We must not lose sight of reality. Our players have positioned themselves fantastically in the past year. But we are working on something very special in the sporting field. With the Johan Cruijff Scale, playing for prizes and the Champions League. Players realise that they can also take steps here.”
However, they will not be able to sign Gimenez for cheap if they want him as Kane’s long-term replacement and for him to lead their line for years to come.
Gimenez played a major role in driving Feyenoord’s Eredivisie title win last season and bagged 15 goals in the league too. Ex-Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt even hailed him as the ‘Best striker in the Eredivisie’ back in May amid his impressive goal-scoring form.
Gimenez became a national hero in Mexico on Sunday, 16 July when he scored the winning goal in the CONCACAF Gold Final against Panama – helping the Mexican club clinch a major trophy. It remains to be seen if Spurs can get this deal over the line and add a robust goal-scorer to their squad.
