Agent Confirms Inter Milan Missed Out On Signing £50m Tottenham Superstar

Inter Milan missed out on signing Xavi Simons before he joined Tottenham, according to his agent.

How Tottenham Beat Inter Milan To Xavi Simons

Reports in Italy during the summer claimed that Inter had made contact with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig over a deal for the playmaker, who also courted interest from several elite Premier League clubs.

Simons was viewed as an alternative to Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, but ultimately, I Nerazzurri were not able to secure either target.

Inter director Piero Ausilio even held talks with the Dutchman’s representative, Ali Barat, before he chose Spurs as his next destination.

Tottenham splashed out £51.8million to sign the 22-year-old, fending off fierce competition from rivals Chelsea.

Speaking to Fabrizio Romano on his official YouTube channel, Barat addressed the race for Simons’ signature.

“Links with Inter? Xavi once again wanted the Premier League,” the agent said.

“So when Tottenham contacted us and Chelsea contacted me, his intention was to go to the Premier League.”

Barat did, however, admit that the player was ‘flattered’ by the attention from Serie A, with the door remaining open. In fact, he declared he hoped to be able to secure Simons a move to Italy in the future.

Simons scored 22 goals and registered 24 assists in his 78 appearances for Leipzig, whom he joined from PSG.

After changing their targets, Inter are interested in Marco Palestra. Brooke Norton-Cuffy is also on their radar.

Thomas Frank Crucial In Xavi Simons Deal

Barat previously revealed that Thomas Frank had been influential in making up Simons’ mind, having asked the midfielder to travel to Spurs’ training ground to meet him after both clubs agreed terms.

Following the meeting, the former PSV man quickly became convinced that the project was the right fit for him.

“When discussions with Tottenham began, their connection and clarity stood out and it quickly became clear that their project was a great fit for Xavi’s development,” Barat told the Daily Mail.

“A talk that Xavi had with Thomas Frank was really key because he hit on a lot of good points.

“Xavi has heard ‘Oh, you’re amazing’ before, but Thomas really hit him on the points that he had to work on. It was total honesty.

“Xavi has got a monster mentality. He’s been a wonderkid since 14 years old. He’s not afraid of challenges. He really took those words from Thomas in a positive way.”

However, Simons has endured a difficult start to life in the Premier League. He has scored just two goals and registered three assists in his 22 appearances to date, and was also sent off against Liverpool earlier this month.

Inter, meanwhile, will look to stay at the top of Serie A by beating Atalanta this evening.