OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur look set to be busy in the final 12 days of the transfer window as Mauricio Pochettino finally sets about bolstering his squad for the new season.
One player who the club have been heavily linked with this summer is Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial, with the speed demon looking set to leave Old Trafford after falling out of favour under Jose Mourinho.
Many Spurs fans seem extremely excited about the prospect of signing the 22-year-old France international, who would be a fine addition to their attacking force.
However, according to the Manchester Evening News, United have now informed Spurs that they are wasting their energy in trying to sign Martial after the Lilywhites made an approach.
The regional newspaper report that the Red Devils are determined to not sell Martial to a domestic rival, with the club wanting to sanction a deal that would take him abroad.
The MEN claim that United’s interest in signing Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld had meant a swap deal was possible, but their insistence on not strengthening a rival now puts that virtually out of the question.
This is a pretty emphatic response from United following contact with Spurs, with the Red Devils seemingly unmoved by the fact that a deal for Alderweireld would surely be made tougher by their hardline approach.
It looks pretty certain that United will now not countenance selling Martial to Tottenham, and unfortunately that means that any further effort to sign him would be a waste of time.
This is not to say that Martial is not worth the effort, but merely that Tottenham must be pragmatic in their approach to the final days of the window.
Time is of the essence with the club yet to being in one player, so to waste any effort on a deal which quite clearly will not happen would be foolish.
Interest in Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha is well-documented, and perhaps a move such as that would be a better option for Spurs after this latest development.
What is most certainly clear is that Tottenham must bin their pursuit of Martial after this emphatic snub from United, and move on to deals which are actually possible before deadline day.