Moussa Dembele to Tottenham: Forward's transfer called off over Fulham loan-back demands

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Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a blow in signing Moussa Dembele after they angered Fulham by deciding to not loan him back until the end of the season. His contract at Craven Cottage runs down to the end of the season and failing to agree on a deal in the midseason transfer window will force the team to allow the forward to leave as a free agent in the summer.

According to the Guardian, the 19 year old completed his medical on Saturday (30 January) and was expected to join the north London club and then return to the Championship side in order to help Fulham avoid relegation. The initial deal agreed between the two sides allowed Dembele to return to his former club on loan for the remainder of this campaign.

However, Tottenham are looking to have the forward hit the ground and are not looking to loan him back to Fulham as they look to bolster their strike force for the second half of the 2015/16 campaign. The situation has angered the Slavisa Jokanovic's side and they have now called off Dembele's proposed £6m ($8.5m) move to White Hart Lane.

Failure from both Tottenham and Fulham to agree on the terms for the forward's sale will see him continue with his current employers. The youngster will then leave the Cottagers as a free agent in the summer but the Championship side will still receive a fee for him at tribunal, if he joins an English club for the next season.

Mauricio Pochettino is relying heavily on Harry Kane to lead his strike force as they look to secure a place in the top four. The Argentine coach also has the services of Son Heung-min and Clinton Njie, with the latter recovering from the knee ligament injury he suffered in December.

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