Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly back in for Croatian wonderkid Alen Halilovic - the 17 year old player considered to be the next Luka Modric and someone whose playing style has been likened to Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi. The White Hart Lane outfit were in hot pursuit of the attacking midfield starlet all summer and almost sealed a reported £10 million deal before deciding to renegotiate the fee in classic Daniel Levy style - a move which ultimately cost them in their attempts to get their man. This time around, Spurs are said to be willing to offer 20 million (£17 illionm) for the youngster, which would exceed the player's 15 million (£13 million) release clause at his current club Dinamo Zagreb. A sticking point at this moment in time, however, appears to be a clause that the player's father Sejad - a coach at Dinamo - wants to insert in to any potential contract. Halilovic Sr. wants there to be a guaranteed number of competitive first team matches in which his son plays at least 45 minutes. Spurs are currently intent on putting the player amongst their youth ranks, despite the large sum that they are willing to dish out for him. However, Halilovic does not want to go from being a fully-fledged Croatian international (he has 3 senior caps) to being a Tottenham Hotspur youth player. The deal isn't dead in the water by any means, but more negotiation will certainly be required before it can be completed - and with the stubborn pair of Halilovic Sr. and Daniel Levy locking horns, it could take a while. Source:Express
