Report: The release clause of rumoured Tottenham target has now expired
According to German outlet Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger (1107/23 – as relayed by BuliNews), the release clause of rumoured Tottenham target Jonathan Tah has now expired, meaning that interested clubs would have to negotiate a fee with Bayer Leverkusen.
It has been widely reported over recent months that Spurs are looking to make wholesale changes at centre-back this summer (Football.London) and over the past few weeks, Leverkusen’s Edmond Taposba has emerged as one of North London club’s top targets (Fabrizio Romano – CaughtOffside).
Earlier this summer, it was reported that Tapsoba’s centre-back partner, Tah, was also on Tottenham’s radar, with 90 min previously asserting that Spurs are one of several Premier League clubs eyeing a move for the 27-year-old.
If Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger’s latest update is to be believed, it turns out that Spurs could have signed Tah for a cut-price deal this summer.
It is explained that the centre-back had a release clause of €20m (£17.1m) in his contract with Leverkusen but the clause is now said to have expired.
However, a departure from BayArena this summer does not seem to be out of the question for Tah yet, with interested clubs now having to negotiate a deal with the Bundesliga side.
When asked about the release clause expiring, Leverkusen’s managing director, Simon Rolfes, is quoted as telling the publication: “We could negotiate freely.”
It is quite possible that Tapsoba came to the attention of Tottenham’s scouts when they were in Germany to run the rule of Tah.
However, if Spurs had held a serious interest in the 27-year-old, they would have made a move for him when the release clause was still active.