Source reveals twist on "unbelievable" £100k-p/w Spurs target, Conte will be seething - opinion

Tottenham Hostpur have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Antonio Rudiger to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a Tottenham source has revealed that, despite Fabio Paratici’s continual pursuit of the Chelsea centre-back, Spurs now look unlikely to get a transfer over the line for the 28-year-old this summer, as a deal for the Germany international has escalated out of the north London side’s price range.

The report goes on to state that Rudiger, who looks set to become available on a free transfer upon the expiry of his current contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, is seeking a contract worth £300k-per-week, something that would break Tottenham’s current wage structure – in which Harry Kane is the club’s top earner on around £200k-a-week.

Finally, it is suggested that the latest twist in Spurs pursuit of the defender will come as a huge blow to Antonio Conte, who personally sanctioned the pursuit of the former AS Roma colossus after signing the centre-back for Chelsea back in 2017.

With it being well-documented that Conte would like to bring in defensive reinforcements to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in order to better implement his three-man backline, the news that Spurs now appear to be out of the race to land Rudiger this summer is sure to have left the 52-year-old seething.

Indeed, it is easy to see why the Italian was so eager to secure a deal for the 28-year-old, as the £31.5m-rated defender has been imperious for the Blues since his arrival four and a half years ago – earning seasonal SofaScore match ratings of 6.99, 6.97, 7.00 and 7.26 over his four complete campaigns in West London.

The