Internacional star Leandro Damião has thanked Tottenham Hotspur for trying to sign him, but insists he was never interested in a move to White Hart Lane.
The 23-year-old had been linked with a move to Spurs for the past 18 months, with Tottenham failing with a £16 million bid for the forward on deadline day.
Damião has now insisted that he was always intent on staying at the Brazilian club despite interest from the Premier League outfit.
He told Correio do Povo: “[Internacional"s] president Giovanni Luigi knows I always wanted to stay at Internacional, regardless of any offers that could come.
“I certainly thank Tottenham [for their interest], they are a big club in Europe, but my focus is on Inter.
“I hope to help Inter for a long time, I have a long contract and I am very happy and focused."
Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas recently confirmed that the club will no longer pursue the long-term transfer target.
The Portuguese coach said: “The player has been linked recently with Spurs, we’ve made it public before that it’s a player that we chase, but we couldn’t agree on the full conditions so we’ve moved on.
“Could it [a deal for Damião] happen in the summer? No I don’t think so, it’s probably finished now."
Source: The Sport Review
