Are Spurs back in for Wilmar Barrios?

Remember Wilmar Barrios? Tottenham Hotspur were reportedly close to signing the 25-year old Boca Juniors defensive midfielder and Colombian international this summer, with reports suggesting that a deal had been made. He was supposed to be Spurs’ first summer signing, becoming the second Colombian player on Spurs’ team after Davinson Sanchez.

And then... nothing.

But that might not be the end of the story. Check out this tweet, which seems to suggest that Spurs have renewed their interest in Barrios for the January transfer window.

And put that through the Google Translate machine:

Wilmar Barrios’ future is in England. @SpursOfficial has everything agreed with the Colombian’s agent. The offer from the English club will arrive soon, which will total €23M for all of his transfer.

Luis Fregossi, according to what I can glean from his Twitter profile, is a Colombian Argentinian radio journalist who also writes about Boca Juniors for a couple of online outlets. Is he reliable here? Your guess is as good as mine. He seems to have actual sources at Boca which is more than I can say, but I have no way of vouching for his credibility in this matter.

But let’s say it’s true. If so, I admit to being a little underwhelmed. We got a good look at Barrios during the World Cup and he didn’t exactly set the Carty Free writers’ hair on fire. I recall him being... fine, but not wow-worthy, and I especially remember him being a bit of a sh—theel in Colombia’s loss to England. That’s not a disqualifying feature (he’d fit in great beside Dier!) and it’s a small sample size in weird conditions, but it’s something.

He’s also 25, which is a bit high on the age curve for my liking. £20m and change isn’t too bad for an international midfielder in today’s financial climate, but if we’re going to take a flyer on a little known player from the Argentinian league, I’d prefer one a little younger with a higher ceiling. On the other hand, with Spurs’ midfield being as it is, I’m not sure I want to turn down any help in that area, and I’m willing to give Pochettino the benefit of the doubt. He might be good! The jury’s still out.

So, in summary: this may or may not be a thing, but it’s worth being super skeptical about January transfer window offers, especially in mid-October. Barrios may be a legitimate midfield target, but I’d have to think that there are better options out there... just maybe not at that price point.