Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has refused to confirm whether the club were looking to pursue the signature of Paulo Dybala during the recent transfer window. The Argentina international was earmarked as one of the prime targets for Pochettino alongside compatriot Giovani Lo Celso, but the north London side were only able to pursue the latter on a season-long loan from Juventus.

Spurs expressed their interest in Dybala towards the closing stages of the summer transfer window and reports indicated that they had both agreed terms with the players as well as the transfer fee with the Bianconeri. However, the deal was scuppered due to the image rights of the attacker present with a third party, who were supposedly demanding a hefty compensation.

As such, Spurs could not pull off the transfer on deadline day and when asked about the Argentine, Pochettino refused to give a clear idea that the club were holding an interest, he said: “It is true that we were linked with a lot of players. Such a name like you are telling me now [Dybala]. These are rumours and you never know if they are true.”

Despite the disappointment, Spurs had a strong transfer window after deciding against any expenditure over the past 12 months. The Capital outfit recruited four players in the form of Jack Clarke, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon and barring the former, who has rejoined Leeds United on loan, the rest are expected to play important roles over the course of the current season.

Spurs have made tremendous progress under the guidance of Pochettino and they are now regarded as a genuine top-four side. However, they are still to find the success in terms of trophies and that has been publicly voiced by the manager himself after the club missed out on the Champions League trophy after reaching the final against Liverpool last season.