Tottenham Hotspur have initial bid for Vincent Janssen rejected

Tottenham Hotspur have had their latest advance for AZ Alkmaar's Vincent Janssen rejected. In a transfer window that is predicated on Spurs finding a back-up to Harry Kane, the Dutch side have reportedly turned down the €14m (£10.7m) offer from the North London club. Rumors suggest that Alkmaar are holding out for a figure closer to €20m (£16.09m).

Janssen emerged as a potential summer transfer window target for Tottenham towards the end of the 2015-16 campaign. Along with Michy Batshuayi and Antonio Sanabria, Janssen seems to be among the most realistic options for Tottenham Hotspur. Coming off a prolific season in the Eredivisie, the twenty-two year old Dutch international has garnered the interest of not just Spurs, but English rival Manchester United and German side Wolfsburg.

While Alkmaar looks to be asking for more money than previously thought (initial reports stated that Janssen could be had for £10-12m), it seems that the hold up might be the way that the Dutch club will actually be paid. In a scenario that isn't uncommon for Daniel Levy or really many transfers in general, Spurs are pushing to compensate Alkmaar through an installment payment plan. Here is what Max Huiberts, Alkmaar's technical director had to say:

"The difference between the offer and the asking price is too big. I hear a lot of rumours but nobody else has made an offer."

It is hard to tell the number of players that Spurs are going after this window and the amount of money that they are looking to spend, but this move by Levy looks like a play to either preserve liquid capital or an attempt to bring Alkmaar's valuation for Janssen down. It is early in the silly season and outside of the basic premise that Daniel Levy always seeks the most cost-efficient deal, this probably signals that there will be more, probably even larger moves, ahead. That or its basic hardball. Propose initial payments over a period of time that Spurs know Alkmaar don't want and see the total price of the transfer fee come down when Tottenham make a final lump sum offer.

Either way its nice to hear actual reports of hard negotiations occurring. The quicker we can determine the solution to Spurs striker depth problem, the better.