Real Madrid rejected the chance to sign Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli as part of the deal to take Gareth Bale back to the Lilywhites.
When reports of Spurs' interest in a move for Bale first materialised, it was suggested that Alli could move in the opposite direction in an attempt to help Spurs finance the deal, and the rumours only grew stronger after he was omitted from the squad for Thursday night’s Europa League tie against Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
With the Bale move all but finalised, Alli's name has vanished from the headlines, and AS state that is because a move to Real was never an option as the Spanish side made it abundantly clear early on that they weren't interested whatsoever.
Not only was the financial side of things a problem - Real don't want to take on his wages when they're trying to save money to pursue Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappé next summer - but manager Zinedine Zidane still resents Alli for comments he made towards Real in 2017.
Alli bagged two goals in a 3-1 win over Real in the Champions League group stage that year, after which he claimed he should have managed a hat-trick. Zidane did not respond positively to that as Alli's goals were not impressive - one was offside and the other was a deflection - and Real's squad was depleted by injuries.
Alli's future is up in the air after being dropped from the squad, but a move to Real has never really been an option. Instead, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain have seen their names thrown into the ring, but whether either will choose to launch a bid remains to be seen.
football.london add that Spurs do not expect to offload Alli this summer, with Mourinho still said to be a huge fan of the midfielder despite his disappointing opening day performance against Everton, which saw him withdrawn at half-time in a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Bale's wages will likely make him a near-permanent starter if he completes his return to Spurs, which could push Alli further down the pecking order depending on how Mourinho includes the Welshman in the side.
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Source : 90min