Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has been dealt a blow in his attempts to bring former managing director of football Fabio Paratici back to the club, journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed.
The Italian executive is set to return to football following his 18-month suspension for financial irregularities during his time at Juventus but is unlikely to rejoin Spurs.
Paratici, who resigned from his role in North London in April 2023, has reportedly agreed to become AC Milan’s next sporting director despite Levy ‘pushing’ for his return to Tottenham.
The Serie A giants also had Arsenal’s incoming sporting director Andrea Berta on their shortlist, but Paratici now appears to be the front-runner for the role at San Siro.
Fabio Paratici Set to Snub Spurs Return
The Italian is set to join AC Milan
According to Bailey, Paratici has rejected a potential return to Tottenham in favour of working in Italy, where he spent his entire playing and executive career before joining Spurs in 2021.
Levy was reportedly keen to bring the 52-year-old back in a sporting director role, with similar responsibilities to those of Luis Campos at Paris Saint-Germain.
The Tottenham chairman is believed to have ‘huge respect’ for Paratici and his work in North London during his two-year stint at the club.
The Italian, praised as 'outstanding', was responsible for signing the likes of Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie and Dejan Kulusevski, among others.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Kulusevski is Tottenham’s second-top goal contributor this season, with 10 goals and 10 assists in 42 appearances.
Tottenham have endured a disappointing Premier League campaign and are now on course for their worst finish since the 2003/04 season when they ended up 14th.
Ange Postecoglou’s future has also been a topic of concern in recent weeks, with Spurs already considering potential successors for the Australian.
Sign up to The GIVEMESPORT Report to get exclusive daily updates from Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs, Dean Jones and Tom Bogert sent straight to your inbox.