Tottenham Hotspur were ‘considering’ making a move for Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi this summer, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

It was a busy window for manager Antonio Conte, who welcomed seven new signings to the club as he stamped his authority over the first-team squad at his disposal.

What is the latest news involving Malinovskyi?

Spurs were able to pick up the likes of Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence for sizeable fees prior to Thursday’s deadline, with Fraser Forster and Ivan Perisic arriving on free transfers.

Meanwhile, Clement Lenglet arrived on a season-long loan deal from Barcelona to provide some additional cover and competition at centre-back.

Yet Tottenham were also believed to be in the market for a creative midfielder and were heavily linked with Malinovskyi, who was believed to be available for transfer at one point in the summer.

Italian daily national newspaper Il Giorno (via The Express) claimed that Conte's charges were monitoring the 29-year-olds situation, with the Bergamo club valuing him at around £15 million.

And it seemed certain that Malinovskyi’s days at the Gewiss Stadium were numbered when his manager Gian Piero Gasperini stated that ‘it’s right for Atalanta to look for a player who scores more than six goals’.

What has Romano said about Malinovskyi?

Despite Gasperini’s comments about Malinovskyi, though, the attacking midfielder ended up staying put, and Tottenham were unable to add a playmaker to their ranks.

Romano has confirmed to GiveMeSport that Spurs were contemplating making a move for the Ukraine international, but Atalanta had ‘no intention’ of sanctioning his departure on a temporary or permanent basis.

He said: “They also were considering Malinovskyi, but Atlanta had no intention of letting him go on loan or on a permanent deal, and so, that did not happen.”

Did Tottenham need Malinovskyi?

Tottenham have offloaded Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso on loan deals to Napoli and Villarreal, respectively, while Dele Alli was allowed to exit the club last January.

That has left Bryan Gil as the only natural attacking midfielder in Conte’s setup, and the 21-year-old has not yet been trusted to start a Premier League game during his time on English shores.

Malinovskyi, therefore, could have helped fill that creative void in the final third of the pitch for Spurs having registered 10 goals and seven assists in 41 appearances last term.

Conte will have to find an alternative way to open opposition defences up after missing out on Malinovskyi’s signature, though, but Tottenham have made a solid enough start to the season.