Tottenham refuse to meet asking price for Willian Jose with striker set to stay at Real Sociedad

Willian Jose is staying at Real Sociedad after Tottenham refused to increase their offer for the Brazilian striker.

Spurs had hoped to sign the 28-year-old this month, but did not offer anywhere near the €30million sought by the Basque club and Standard Sport understands negotiations ended on Thursday.

Willian Jose had told team-mates he was leaving and expected Tottenham to return with an improved offer after a bid of around €15m was rejected earlier in January.

The Brazilian asked to be left out of the Copa del Rey clash at Espanyol last week and was also dropped by coach Imanol Alguacil for the weekend win at Mallorca.

And although Willian Jose was initially brought back for the cup game against Osasuna on Wednesday, he was left out of the final squad.

With the player unsettled and an improved bid from Spurs failing to materialise, perhaps after the realisation from Tottenham that they would need to secure a work permit to complete the transfer, Real Sociedad offered Willian Jose to a number of big clubs around Europe on Thursday, including Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona.

But there have been no takers and the Basques have ruled out a late sale, with only Bordeaux-bound midfielder Ruben Pardo expected to leave Anoeta before the transfer window closes on Friday night.