Mourinho adds Spurs will "execute the option" to sign Giovani Lo Celso permanently
Sunday 26 January 2020 14:21, UK
Jose Mourinho has criticised Inter Milan for their pursuit of Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen after he was left out of the FA Cup fourth round tie with Southampton.
Eriksen travelled with his team-mates to St Mary's but his omission from Mourinho's squad indicates he may have played his last game for the club against Norwich in midweek.
The 27-year-old is close to sealing a £16.8m move to Italy which could see him earn up to £320,000 per week, according to Sky in Italy.
"You can read what you want to read. I don't want to say anything," Mourinho said.
"I just want to say that this situation shouldn't happen on the 25th of January, and that it is not Tottenham's fault that on the 25th of January we are in this situation.
"The only thing I can say is, Eriksen, since I arrived, has behaved in a very, very professional way with me and with the team.
"Tottenham is the last one to blame in this situation but to be on the 25th of January in a situation like this is not nice."
Spurs have been keen to sell the Danish midfielder this month to prevent him leaving on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Antonio Conte wants to add him to his Inter squad and, while sources in England understand the deal has not yet been signed, those in Italy believe it is close to being agreed.
Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta remains hopeful a deal can be completed before Friday's deadline.
He said: "You all know that we are negotiating with Tottenham. I am optimistic and I hope everything can be concluded quickly because the market closes on Friday and we hope to conclude the negotiations in the next few days."
Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol told The Transfer Show: "Daniel Levy looks like he is going to get what he wants yet again.
"Spurs' position from the beginning was that they were not going to accept less than €20m for Christian Eriksen even though he's only got six months left on his contract.
"Our information is that the deal hasn't been done yet, but our colleagues at Sky Italy believe it is almost agreed. They say it is going to be a €20m deal and that Christian Eriksen is going to treble his wages.
"He's going to be signing a four-and-a-half-year deal and he will be earning £260,000 per week. With bonuses that could go up to £320,000 a week."
Mourinho said Spurs will "execute the option" to sign Giovani Lo Celso on a permanent basis, with the Argentine's recent performances making it an "easy" decision.
Spurs have the option to buy Lo Celso for £27m this month, or £34m in the summer. That option will only become an obligation if the club qualifies for the Champions League.
"It's not an obligation, it's an option. I think the boy is earning the decision. He's making an easy decision for the club to execute the option," Mourinho said of Lo Celso, who joined on a season-long loan from Real Betis.
"[He has shown an] incredible evolution since I arrived, he had barely played a game, I think only against Red Star Belgrade. With me it was a little bit difficult in the first couple of weeks, but he understood what we wanted.
"Good learner, good kid and I think by himself he made the decision that the club is going to execute the option. That's normal, he earned it."
Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.
Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day's news with The Transfer Show.
Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.
And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don't miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
