Tottenham Hotspur had their eyes on Udinese forward Gerard Deulofeu over the January window and came close to signing him.

What's the latest?

Fabio Paratici was able to address two areas of Antonio Conte's squad last month with the signings of Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro.

However, it seems as if the Dutchman may not have been the Italian's first-choice target with suggestions the Lilywhites were close to signing Deulofeu if it wasn't for an ongoing injury.

Indeed, Fabrizio Romano has shed some light on some of the stories to emerge from the January transfer window with Tottenham being a club seemingly holding some unearthed secrets.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, reliable transfer guru Romano has revealed the Lilywhites were eyeing the former Everton man last month:

"This is a very surprising one.

"But I can reveal [to] you that this is an exclusive name; Tottenham were considering a move for Gerard Deulofeu."

"But what happened? Deulofeu was really close to Tottenham. From what I heard, the deal was almost done for Deulofeu to join Tottenham. But what happened is that Gerard Deulofeu had an injury, a serious injury, and so he was not available any more on the market right before joining Tottenham."

Premier League-proven

The Spanish forward has experience in the Premier League having previously played for both Watford and Everton between 2013 and 2021.

Over the years, the 28-year-old has been sent out on a number of loans but was able to rack up 127 appearances in the English top flight (via Transfermarkt).

In that time he was able to return 20 goals and 24 assists in the league but it is in Italy where the forward has found his best form.

Playing for Udinese, Deulofeu has provided the Serie A side with 18 goals and 14 assists in 68 appearances with 13 of those goals coming in the 2021/22 campaign.

There may be some who question his ability in the Premier League with the Spanish forward far from prolific during his time in England.

However, it is worth remembering Danjuma did not score in any of his 14 Premier League games when he was at Bournemouth before moving the Villarreal.

But the upside of Danjuma is he is still a few years younger than Deulofeu and the Lilywhites have landed him on an initial loan meaning they can try before they buy with the Dutchman's contract holding a buy-clause in the summer.

Fortunately for Spurs, Danjuma has made a bright start to life in north London with a goal already to his name after a 19-minute appearance.

But it is certainly intriguing to see Spurs once again diving into the Italian market for potential signings.