Damiao ‘will not be sold until end of year’

Rio de Janeiro: Tottenham Hotspur target Leandro Damiao will not be sold until at least the end of the year, Brazilian Serie A club Internacional said.

Internacional revealed on Monday that Tottenham officials had travelled to the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre last week to offer £20 million (Dh116 million) for the 23-year old striker, reports Xinhua.

“Tottenham came after him but the proposal wasn’t befitting of the player’s value,” Internacional football director Luciano Davi told Uol.

“Leandro is the centre forward of the Brazilian national team and we have to respect that.”

The announcement marks the third time in the past 12 months that Tottenham have had an offer rejected for Damiao.

“Our aim is to keep him here until the end of the year at least,” Davi said. “The proposals we’ve had don’t come close to the player’s value and we’re not interested in selling him.”

Damiao has scored 72 goals from 119 matches for Internacional in Brazil’s top flight. He has also excelled at international level having top-scored at the recent the London Olympic tournament with six goals.