Marseille exit race for 29-year-old Tottenham target due to increased price tag | OneFootball

Marseille no longer running after Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Ruslan Malinovskyi

Olympique de Marseille (OM) have exited the race for Tottenham Hotspur transfer target and Atalanta playmaker Ruslan Malinovskyi.

This is according to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato  (h/t the Express), who claim that an increase in price tag led to Marseille’s decision to stop chasing the Ukraine international. Atalanta are apparently wanting 18million Euros for him now, instead of 15million Euros.

The modest price tag is almost definitely down to his contract situation with the Italian outfit. He is in the final year of his contract with Atalanta and it doesn’t seem likely that he will pen new terms.

Spurs have been linked with him in the past few months as a result of this but no move has materialised as of now. The Lilywhites can perhaps wait for six more months and hope to sign him on a free transfer.

What should Spurs do?

Especially with Marseille out of the race, this could make things easy for us. But then again, it would be risking the transfer on two fronts. Firstly, someone else can come in and swoon Atalanta into selling him in January.

The Italian club may want to get some cash for him rather than lose him for free. Secondly, a player of his quality, versatility, and age profile (29) would be a steal for many top clubs in the summer if he does not renew his terms.

Ruslan Malinovskyi of Atalanta BC has been linked with a transfer move to Tottenham Hotspur. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Spurs signed Destiny Udogie this summer and loaned him back to Udinese for a year. This ensured that we avoided competition that may have arisen over the course of the season.

This strategy is perhaps the one we should try with Malinvoskyi – to pay the fee when we can and put him onto our books as soon as possible. Waiting around can prove to be a mistake.

Spurs lack a player that can play in the number 10 role. At the price being quoted above, Spurs can certainly do a lot worse than the Ukrainian.