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We've got some bad news, Tottenham Hotspur fans. Central defender Mateo Musacchio is starting for Villarreal in their warm-up friendly against Sassuolo. Previously, their manager Marcelino García Toral has stated that Musacchio will not play for the club while his future is in flux.
El @VillarrealCF confirmado: Juan Carlos, Rukavina, Musacchio, Gabriel, Jaume Costa; Bruno, Trigueros, Espinosa, Cheryshev; Giovani y Uche
— Hernán Sanz (@Hernan_Sanz) August 14, 2014
There's obviously still a half a month left in the transfer window and another week until Villarreal starts playing competitive matches, so a lot can change, but this is a blow for Spurs. Marcelino is going to be very unhappy with his superiors if Musacchio is sold after he's been reintegrated into the squad.
Musacchio's potential transfer to Spurs has been held up by co-ownership deals. Neither his former club River Plate or his agent can have any say in the transfer, but Villarreal aren't happy with the percentage they'd get for Musacchio. Spurs have reportedly offered £17m, seemingly a very fair price, but Villarreal would only collect about half of that fee. They don't think that's enough money to sell him, and Spurs aren't willing to offer enough for Villarreal to get £17m on their own.