Leandro switch to White Hart Lane looking unlikely
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Tottenham transfer target Leandro Damiao is set to turn down a move to the Premier League in favour of switching to Italy where Napoli and Juventus are interested in signing him.
The White Hart Lane club tried to sign 23-year-old Leandro in both the summer and January transfer windows, but failed to agree a £17million deal with his club Internacional because of the complicated third-party ownership of the striker.
Tottenham had not completely ruled out another swoop for the forward, who impressed Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas during the London Olympics, at the end of the season as he looks to add to his firepower options.
But it appears that Leandro prefers a switch to the Italian Serie A with Napoli leading the race for his signature as they hunt for options to replace Edinson Cavani, who is expected to leave at the end of the season. Juventus are also understood to be considering a move for the forward.
Manchester City and Chelsea among those interested in the Uruguayan international, with the Etihad Stadium reportedly preparing a £52milion offer for Cavani to trigger a release clause in his contract.
“The Italian championship is a goal for Damiao,” Leandro’s agent Vinicius Prates told the Daily Star. “He is focused on succeeding in Brazil but anything can happen in June, although we have no agreement with European teams. Few European clubs have the ability to hire [Damiao] right now,”