Tottenham Hotspur has reportedly beaten Manchester United in the race to sign Real Madrid’s Spanish left-back Sergio Regulion.
Regulion spent the 2019/20 LaLiga season on loan at Sevilla where he performed exceptionally. He was voted the best left-back in La Liga last season after helping the Seville-based club to a fourth-place finish while his sensational performances in the UEFA Europa League helped them to a record-extending sixth title.
His stellar performance did not go unnoticed as he caught the eyes of a number of European giants. Premier League outfit Chelsea was reportedly keen on the 23-year-old’s signature as they were actively searching the market for a new left-back. However, Frank Lampard favored a move for Englishman Ben Chilwell, ending pursuit for Regulion.
Manchester United then emerged as front runners for the Spaniard’s signature with head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seeking a replacement for injury-prone defender Luke Shaw.
Jose Mourinho’s Spurs were also tracking his situation and after a Chelsea move failed to Materialize, they went all-in for their man.
It was believed that Regulion preferred a move to Old Trafford but United was reluctant in accepting Real’s demands for the Spaniard. The Los Blancos reportedly slapped a £27.5 million (€30m/$35m) fee on their man, and Manchester United backed down.
It is also reported that another major factor in Tottenham securing the Spaniards signature is their willingness to include a buy-back clause in the deal, a clause Manchester United refused to accept.
Marcelo and Ferland Mendy are both ahead in the pecking order for head coach Zinedine Zidane but after showing huge potentials with his mouth-watering performances last season, Real Madrid reportedly are not ready to let go of Reguilon entirely.
They haven’t ruled out a Bernabeu return for the Spaniard, as they inputted a buy-back clause in the deal.
The long-term project currently ongoing at Tottenham, coupled with Spurs head coach Jose Mourinho’s interest in securing his signature are believed to have convinced Regulion to move to the North London club ahead of Manchester United.
The well-established and cordial relationship between Daniel Levy and Florentino Perez also helped seal the deal as both clubs have traded players like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric in recent times.
Last season, Regulion scored three goals while setting up five assists for Sevilla in all competitions, as he would go on to make his first appearance for the Spanish National Team in their UEFA Nations League clash against Ukraine.
