Marc Bartra to Tottenham: Time running out for Spurs if they want Barcelona defender as buyout clause set to rise to €30million

His buyout clause will increase to €30million next month

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Time appears to be running out for Tottenham in their pursuit of Barcelona defender Marc Bartra after his agent confirmed his buyout clause will increase to €30million next month.

Spurs have made an enquiry for the 24-year-old, with the White Hart Lane outfit having followed his progress for the past three years.

Bartra, who was first brought to Tottenham’s attention by former head coach Andre Villas-Boas, currently carries a buyout clause value of just €12 million (£8.7m).

But according to his agent, Javier Magico Diaz, interested clubs cannot afford to hang about if they want to secure his signature.

Diaz has revealed that, because his client failed to make the number of appearances stipulated in his contract, his buyout clause was automatically adjusted at the end of the season.

The current fee of £8.7m will, however, only last for the remainder of this month before returning to €30m on July 1.

“His release clause has fallen to €12m after failing to make a certain number of appearances, but that’s only until July 1, when it goes back up to €30m,” he told FCInterNews.

“Marc is very happy at Barcelona, but if there was real interest from clubs where he could get more space then we’ll listen and make our own decisions.”

Unless Spurs move quickly it appears unlikely they will get their man.

It is understand that Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund are also monitoring Bartra’s situation closely.