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Tottenham star remains focused despite talk of Celtic move ramping up

Tottenham goalkeeper Joe Hart has made it clear that he is not being distracted by the talk of a summer switch to Celtic.

The 34-year-old former England stopper joined Spurs last summer on a free transfer and made 10 appearances under former boss Jose Mourinho in the cup competitions. However, it’s understood that new Tottenham coach Nuno Espirito Santo has told the former Manchester City man that his now surplus to requirements.

Hart has not featured in Spurs’ last two friendlies, having played the first 45 minutes against Leyton Orient.

Tottenham have since signed Pierluigi Gollini on loan from Atalanta with an option to buy him permanently.

Scottish giants Celtic have registered their interest in Hart. They are believed to be trying to work out a deal when it comes to his wages and potential nominal fee to Tottenham, which could be around £1million.

On Friday morning, Hart posted a photo of himself in training the previous day with the caption “Nothing but focus, no matter what #relentless”.

Hart’s exit does appear to be inevitable, with Hugo Lloris now back in training. Academy stopper Alfie Whiteman also looked good in the friendly wins over Colchester United and in Milton Keynes.

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Final Levy push needed to sign top target

Meanwhile, a Tottenham transfer for their ‘priority’ target remains a distinct possibility, though a final push from Daniel Levy will be required, according to a trusted source.

Spurs’ summer will largely be defined by the outcome of the ongoing transfer saga surrounding Harry Kane. The England striker has been everything Tottenham fans could’ve hoped for and more, though his desire to lift major honours could ultimately drive him to Man City.

Elsewhere, Tottenham have quietly been going about their business since Fabio Paratici’s appointment as director of football.

A new back-up goalkeeper has been signed, while a swap deal involving Erik Lamela and Bryan Gil has been completed.

However, the club’s search for new faces at centre-back has thus far not yielded a breakthrough.

Toby Alderweireld’s cut-price exit to Qatar raised eyebrows, while Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez could also depart.

As such, additions in the position are a must, and their top target remains Atalanta’s Cristian Romero.

The Serie A club have decided to exercise their right to buy Romero from Juventus a year early into his two-season loan deal with Atalanta, which started in September 2020.

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Spurs short of Atalanta asking price

Once that deal goes through, Atalanta want around €60m to offload him this summer. And Spurs appear to be in pole position after making two attempts to land Romero.

Barcelona were speculated to be in the mix, though trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano has denied they have made a bid.

The path is therefore clear for Spurs to strike. However, Romano has provided an update that suggests the ball is in Levy’s court.

He tweeted that talks remain ongoing between the two clubs. However, the potential deal is currently on ‘stand-by’ due to their differences over Romero’s valuation.

Atalanta are seeking ‘€55m’, but Tottenham are only prepared to offer ‘€40-€45m’.

Personal terms are stated to have already been agreed. All that remains is for Spurs supremo Levy to sanction a larger bid to help land the impressive Argentine.

 

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