Mauricio Pochettino rejected the chance to swap Christian Eriksen for Juventus star Paulo Dybala and now faces the prospect of losing the Dane for nothing next summer.
The Tottenham manager was hopeful that Eriksen would sign a new deal in north London, but he has been left disappointed as the former Ajax star still views his future elsewhere.
Pochettino refused to enter negotiations with Juventus, but the Italian champions are now front-runners, along with Barcelona, to sign the playmaker when his contract expires in 2020.
All of Tottenham’s attempts at a contract renewal have failed and Eriksen is not willing to accept any new proposals from the club.
His refusal to come to the negotiating table has left Pochettino regretting his dismissal of the Dybala deal as he could have better courted the Argentine with more time in the transfer window.
Now Spurs face the prospect of receiving nothing for their star midfielder, who has been at the club since 2013.
The auction for the 27-year-old has already begun and Eriksen is free to begin talks with other teams from January onwards.
Real Madrid and Barcelona had both been touted as potential destinations at the start of the summer but the Spanish giants spent the bulk of their budget elsewhere. Now Spurs fans will hope Eriksen can place his focus on the season ahead and fully commit to the cause in spite of his seemingly inevitable exit.
