Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has told Real Madrid he has no intention of selling Christian Eriksen this summer.
Eriksen, instrumental in Spurs’ run to the Champions League Final, has just one year left on his contract.
The Danish midfielder can leave on a free transfer in 2020, and talks have stalled in recent months.
Florentino Perez had been hoping to cut a deal to take him to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, as he and coach Zinedine Zidane plot a Madrid overhaul.
But El Confidential reports that, over dinner at Madrid City Hall on Friday night, Levy made clear he won’t be selling the playmaker to Los Blancos.
The pair are no strangers to one another and there is plenty of mutual respect between the duo, having previously worked out deals for Gareth Bale and Luka Modric to head to the Spanish capital.
But Levy is desperate to give coach Mauricio Pochettino the tools needed to mount a Premier League push next term, and rebuffed Perez’s approach.
He made clear that awarding Eriksen a new contract - potentially breaking Spurs’ wage structure - is his first priority this summer.
It’s claimed Levy’s stance is seen at the Bernabeu as a way of driving up the price, with Madrid said to be unwilling to go above £80million.
Pochettino is hoping Eriksen remains and is keen to add Giovani Lo Celso to his lineup in North London.
understands Spurs have had a £62million bid - made up of £50m plus add-ons - rejected by Real Betis.
Lo Celso, 23, is keen to link up with compatriot Pochettino after a successful stint in Spain - having moved to Seville from Paris Saint-Germain.
