Tottenham dithering sees Postecoglou miss out on defensive target as personal terms agreed with Ligue 1 club
Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo looks set to snub Tottenham and has reportedly agreed personal terms with French club Monaco.
Ange Postecoglou is keen to strengthen his defensive ranks ahead of the new Premier League campaign. Spurs finished down in eighth spot last term to miss out on European football. And a defence that conceded 63 top-flight goals came in for fierce criticism throughout the campaign.
With that in mind, the north Londoners have been heavily linked with a move for the Cottagers stopper.
Earlier this month, it was reported by football.london that Spurs were keen on the 25-year-old centre-back. It was thought that they were close to submitting a bid.
And it was suggested that Adarabioyo would ‘be keen on a move to Tottenham’ if they did decide to make an offer.
However, it appears as though they have missed out. Ligue 1 outfit Monaco have agreed personal terms with the former England youth star, according to French outlet Foot Mercato.
And reports claim the towering defender would now prefer to join Les Rouge et Blanc ahead of a move to Tottenham.
Adarabioyo is set to enter the final 12 months of his Craven Cottage deal and so the west Londoners needed to take action.
They could lose him for nothing next summer while foreign clubs would have been free to negotiate from January onwards.
But it looks as though the former Manchester City youth player is on his way.
Tottenham miss out on Adarabioyo deal
Adarabioyo spent 18 years in the Manchester City setup. Having been with the various youth teams between 2003 and 2016, he made eight first-team appearances for the Citizens.
None of those were in the Premier League and he enjoyed loan spells with both West Brom and Blackburn Rovers.
Fulham came calling in October 2020 and the Manchester-born star has played 99 league games for the capital outfit.
He has also enjoyed 107 outings in all competitions but may have kicked his last ball for Marco Silva’s side.
It seems as though Fulham are prepared to let him go.
The 6ft 5in centre-half has been left out of Silva’s match day squads for the Premier League Summer Series games in the USA.
And Monaco are said to be confident of landing their target. However, there may be a significant stumbling block over his price tag.
The Stade Louis-II club have reportedly offered the Cottagers just £4m. But Fulham want in the region of £13m.
That is a sizeable gap and one that may be tough to bridge.
Therefore Spurs may have a lifeline if they do still harbour hopes of bringing Adarabioyo to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Monaco finished sixth in Ligue 1 last term, missing out on European football.
However, with Spurs poor 2022-23, the Premier League club do not hold that particular advantage over the principality outfit.
READ MORE: Tottenham transfers: Perfect Hojbjerg replacement to snub Juventus and join Postecoglou revolution
