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Friday, April 17, 2026

Tottenham had a bid rejected for prolific Ligue 1 star before signing Carlos Vinicius

Tottenham failed with a bid for Olympique Lyon’s Moussa Dembele

According to Get French Football News (h/t Express), Tottenham tried and failed to sign French striker Moussa Dembele before making a move for Carlos Vinicius in the summer transfer window.

It was no secret that Tottenham were scouring the transfer market for a new striker this summer. The search eventually ended with the club signing Vinicius on loan from Portuguese giants SL Benfica. The Lilywhites retain the option of making the Brazilian striker’s transfer permanent at the end of the loan stint.

Moussa Dembele during his time at Celtic
Moussa Dembele during his time at Celtic

However, it is now being claimed that before moving for Vinicius, Tottenham were keen on signing Dembele from Lyon. It is believed that Tottenham made a similar offer for Dembele as they did for Vinicius, trying to get him on a season-long loan deal with a view to make his stay permanent next year. (h/t Express)

Dembele, who has played in the UK before with Fulham and Celtic, has previously been linked with Chelsea and Manchester United. He was believed to be keen on a chance to play in the Premier League as well, as per the report. However, Lyon rejected Tottenham’s offer, leading to the club signing Vinicius. (h/t Express)

Since leaving Fulham in 2016, Dembele enjoyed a prolific two-year stint in Celtic. He has continued to impress in Lyon, bagging 44 goals and 13 assists in 98 appearances. However, he is yet to score a single goal in the new season.

Nevertheless, the signing of Vinicius is quite a coup for the North London giants.

Carlos Vinicius is a Tottenham Hotspur player (Twitter/SpursOfficial)
New signing Carlos Vinicius enjoyed a prolific 2019/20 season (Twitter/SpursOfficial)

More Tottenham Hotspur News

The Brazilian enjoyed a prolific 2019/20 campaign with Benfica and has what it takes to make a major difference for the club.

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