It’s been a painful game of chicken, but it appears things are on the threshold of coming together in the Emerson Royal to AC Milan transfer saga™. A number of reports coming from Italy, including from relatively trustworthy sources Gianluca DiMarzio and Fabrizio Romano:
We’re a little late to the party on this one, but this process has been exhausting, and it’s always a fine balance between keeping the commentariat up to date with unread articles and overwhelming you with nothing pieces. In short, things are looking more and more like they are coming towards a positive resolution, with the Brazilian right back headed towards Serie A.
I mentioned a painful game of chicken; well, not for Tottenham Hotspur.
The club have played their cards admirably, making some small initial concessions before holding firm on a number they felt was reasonable and affordable for a guy who is still in the prime of his career and a damn solid fullback. AC Milan tried to totally lowball Spurs initially, before things went quiet; and it was the Italian club who broke, inching up towards Spurs’ €20 million asking price.
It is possible external factors forced Milan’s hand, with reports out of Brazil indicating interest in Royal out of Turkey, with Galatasaray apparently willing to meet Spurs’ price. There could have been truth to those rumors, or they could also have been largely fiction, generated by either Spurs or Royal’s agent to try push things along; either way, it’s brought Milan back to the negotiating table, with reports claiming a €15 million plus escalators offer was tabled.
That’s a far cry from €10 million a couple of weeks back. I’d say we’re edging closer to the endgame now.