KEY POINTS

  • Tottenham Hotspur might sign Inter Milan's Marcelo Brozovic in January
  • Brozovic has lost his coach's trust due to issues outside the pitch and has not been in fine form this season
  • Inter is willing to take less than the amount of Brozovic's release clause

English Premier League contender Tottenham Hotspur is among the top European clubs interested in luring Inter Milan star Marcelo Brozovic over their base camp by January.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s brace on Saturday opened up a new transfer story for Inter. Following the devastating defeat to Milan, Nerazzurri has identified Brozovic as an under-performing player who is likely to be up for sale in the January window, according to a report by Italian outlet Calciomercato.com.

Brozovic was once a phenomenal player for Inter and was tagged as “indispensable.” However, the situation took a huge turn this season after the Croatian midfielder started to lose the trust of Inter coach, Antonio Conte, due to incompetence and issues off the pitch.

The report states that Inter is now open to listening to offers for Brozovic with Tottenham among the big-name clubs likely to make a swoop.

Apart from inconsistency in performance, Inter has also dealt with Brozovic's “inappropriate” attitude. In the same report, it says that Nerazzurri is more than willing to let go of the controversial player to make room for new signings.

Several clubs are already mentioned as potential suitors. Aside from Tottenham, Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are all linked to the former Dinamo Zagreb star.

Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho, Manager of Manchester United celebrates victory following the FA Cup third round match between Manchester United and Reading at Old Traffor, Jan. 7, 2017 in Manchester, England. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

In desperation to offload Brozovic, Inter is reportedly open to the idea of accepting less than the 27-year-old's €60 million ($70 million) release clause.

Brozovic played one of the worst derbies of his football career as a regular starter for Inter in the 1-2 loss to Milan. He has only started twice for the squad and racked up 184 minutes in four matches.

Despite Brozovic’s underwhelming performance, Conte believes that the team has done a great job so far.

"We're sorry to have lost a well-played game on our part. They were good and I think also a little lucky," he told Sky Sport Italia after the match.

"We create a lot of chances to score goals in every game. We have to become more cynical to take advantage of them. But at the same time, I have nothing to blame the boys for. They fought to the end to equalize. We weren't very lucky."

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