Conte now dealt transfer blow in Tottenham’s pursuit of 22y/o ‘phenomenon’; Levy won’t be keen

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy will not be keen on engaging in a ‘financial tussle’ for Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara, journalist Dean Jones has claimed.

Marseille president Pablo Longoria has confirmed that the player will not sign a new deal at the club and will leave on a free transfer at the end of the season. Whilst currently earning a reported £46,000 per week, it is said that the 22-year-old was demanding £150,000-a-week wages from Marseille.

As a result, Goal have reported that Atletico Madrid are leading the race to sign the defensive midfielder. However, they also credited Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Southampton and Tottenham with an interest in signing the player.

Jones believes that the potential fees, alongside the extensive competition, will be enough to put Levy off making a move for Kamara

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the journalist claimed: “This guy is being linked with almost every club in Europe at the moment. So, it’s going to probably come down to a financial tussle.

“And ultimately, Daniel Levy doesn’t usually like to get involved in that because you end up paying over the odds.”

At just 22 years of age, the Frenchman has already accumulated 159 appearances for Marseille, 122 of which have come in Ligue 1.

When compared with players in the same position in Europe’s top five leagues, Kamara ranks in the 95th percentile for passes attempted and the 94th percentile for pass completion (via FBRef). As a result, it is easy to see why Antonio Conte would be keen on signing the young “phenomenon”, as the youngster was called by his former Marseille team-mate Rolando.

However, with Levy earning a reputation as a frugal operator in the transfer market, this prospective move seems unlikely