By OkayGoal 
Radu Dragusin agent has lifted the lid on a remarkable piece of transfer news that went completely under the radar.
The Tottenham centre-back turned down a Saudi Arabia offer worth €50 million over five years (equivalent to €10 million net per year) without even seriously entertaining the possibility, according to his representative Florin Manea. Speaking on the iAM Stucan podcast as reported by Romanian outlet iAM Sport, Manea was candid about the scale of what was declined and what it could have been worth to everyone involved.
“You want me to tell you something? We refused €50m over five years for Radu. €10m per year,” Manea revealed. “Someone from Saudi Arabia called us and said they would give us €10m net per year to go there. We didn’t even consider it.”
To put things into ontext, Dragusin currently earns around £4.4 million per year at Tottenham and the gap between his current salary and what Saudi Arabia was offering is difficult to overstate.
Radu Dragusin Saudi Arabia offer details reveal staggering financial package on the table
Manea went further, explaining just how high the figures could have climbed during negotiations that never actually took place.
“€10m per year? Tell me how many would refuse that. It could have gone up to €15m, even €20m per year. It could have reached €100m over five years. I would have taken a commission of €20-30m. But we were not interested.”
The agent’s willingness to walk away from a commission of that size speaks volumes about the camp’s confidence in Dragusin’s ability to build a career at the top level of European football.
For a 23-year-old centre-back who has had a difficult and inconsistent season at Spurs, turning down that kind of financial security is a bold call. But the message from Manea is clear that money is not what is driving Dragusin’s decisions right now and it is the desire to succeed at the highest level in Europe which is the priority.
RB Leipzig winter interest shows Radu Dragusin has genuine European suitors beyond Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia was not the only party to make a move.
Manea also confirmed that RB Leipzig approached Tottenham during the January window, though no deal materialised. The door remains open for a potential return to those conversations in the summer. “There was an offer for him in the winter from Leipzig. Now we will see if they want to try again or not,” Manea said.
AC Milan had also been linked previously, adding further credibility to the idea that Dragusin has a real market in continental Europe if he chooses to pursue it.
The Bundesliga link is particularly interesting.
Leipzig have a track record of developing young defenders into top-level performers, and Dragusin’s physical profile (he is composed on the ball and strong in the air) fits the kind of profile they typically target.
If his situation at Tottenham were not to stabilise under Roberto De Zerbi, a move to Germany during the summer window could make sense for all parties.
From Tottenham’s perspective, having a player commit to the cause during one of the most turbulent seasons in the club’s recent history is a minor positive amid a great deal of noise.
Dragusin has had his difficult moments this season, with inconsistent performances increasing the scrutiny on him during a period when Tottenham’s defensive unit has been under constant pressure but the willingness to turn down life-changing money to remain in north London suggests a player who genuinely wants to prove himself at this level.
