Tottenham Hotspur, it has been claimed, failed last month with a plan to buy Nigerian winger Moses Simon and then loan him to Dutch side ADO Den Haag.
The 19-year-old talent was on the radar of a number of clubs in the winter transfer window, as sides from Ajax, to Heerenveen, to Liverpool took note of his potential.
But quickest to the draw were Belgian side KAA Gent, who splashed €800,000 to take Simon from Slovak outfit AS Trencin, signing him to a three-year contract.
In so doing Gent beat off a determined bid from Spurs who, according to Dutch outlet Soccer News, wanted to snap up Simon.
The English Premier League side then intended to loan the 19-year-old wide-man to Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag for the remainder of the current campaign.
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The White Hart Lane outfit saw their best efforts fail though and Simon is now continuing his career in Belgium's top flight.
He has wasted little time in making an impact with Gent, scoring four goals in four Jupiler League games so far, along with providing two assists for his team-mates.
It remains to be seen whether Europe's elite will make a renewed attempt to snap up the winger when the transfer window opens once again in the summer.
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