Tottenham Hotspur have been knocked back in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid winger Nicolas Gaitan, according to the London Evening Standard.

What's the word?

The Argentine seems to be a regular name linked to the Premier League when the transfer window opens.

Manchester United were previously touted as possible admirers, while Tottenham were said to have wanted Gaitan in 2014, according to The Express.

This time, the London Evening Standard claims that Spurs have made an approach to the Spanish club regarding Gaitan’s availability, but it is believed that Atletico boss Diego Simeone wants to keep hold of him.

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Despite the winger not being a regular starter in the team following his £22m switch from Benfica to the Vicente Calderon last summer, it appears that he is likely to stay put.

Why do Tottenham want him?

This particular transfer rumour raises some questions, such as ‘Why would Spurs want an out-of-form player?’

Gaitan has started just six of his 14 appearances for Atletico this season, scoring three goals, and he has failed to recreate the performances that caught the attention of the Spanish club in Portugal.

The 28-year-old has never been a winger that will score a hoard of goals, but rather act as a solid unit that links up well with a team.

Gaitan has been known to drop deep and try to nick the ball back when his team have lost possession, and perhaps those qualities are what attracted Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino to him in the first place.

However, the Tottenham team are in a good run of form and disrupting that could be detrimental to their Premier League title challenge.

Gaitan is not a necessity for the North London club right now, so his rumoured unavailability may not be such bad news for the club.

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