'Daniel Levy is the best transfer negotiator in the world, but once I had to tell him to go f*** himself Ex-Dinamo Zagreb director Zdravko Mamic recalls testy boardroom meeting with notorious ex-Tottenham Hotspur chief

Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterIn 2013, Tottenham Hotspur were targeting the joint-purchase of Croatian duo Alen Halilovic and Tin Jedvaj, negotiating with then-Dinamo Zagreb director Zdravko Mamic.Daniel Levy and Mamic shared history in 2008, they ironed out a joint-club record deal for eventual Ballon dOr winner Luka Modric and their latest negotiations were set to cost Spurs 25 million.Levys financial ruthlessness had previously emerged in negotiations for Modric, but Mamic confessed in a 2019 interview, exclusively with FourFourTwo, that their boardroom exchange was far testier for Halilovic and Jedvaj.I told them go f*** yourselfAt the time, a teenage Halilovic was touted as the next Modric, while Jedvaj was believed to be a defensive game-changer.The latter sealed a move to Roma in 2013, while Halilovic attracted Barcelona although, after their transfers,neither enjoyed top-level careers in Europe and Mamic confirmed how close Spurs came to bagging the duo. You may like 'When Luka Modric signed for Tottenham, I asked Daniel Levy for five jerseys. When the invoice for the transfer arrived, it was 23m minus the value of the jerseys' Former Dinamo Zagreb chief reveals what it was like dealing with Spurs Why are Tottenham Hotspur doing Chelsea favours in the transfer window? Tottenham Hotspur eye �100m Premier League star: report The ex-Zagreb director revealed: "I negotiated with [Levy] over the transfers of Alen Halilovic and Tin Jedvaj to Tottenham. My son was their agent and translator, and I represented the interests of Dinamo.Mamic then revealed how Spurs lowball offer provoked fury: We sat in Levys office with the sporting director, Franco Baldini, and Levy offered us around 10m as his secretary served us tea. After hearing their offer, I told my son to thank Levy, Mamic continued.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."[I also told him] to ask if I should drink my tea, or just go straight home? My son did not want to translate that!"Levy and Baldini realised that I had become a little more aggressive, then I told them Idite vi svi u picku materinu [the Croatian equivalent of go f*** yourself]."They stood up and asked me to stay, because 10m was not their final offer for the players. After that we continued the negotiations and agreed a fee of 25m, Mamic told FFT. What to read next Roberto De Zerbi faces first major Tottenham Hotspur criticism after nightmare development Tottenham's Cristian Romero sale agreed, with bizarre �7.5m hole breaking Spurs' transfer logic Tottenham Hotspur agree incredible deal with Newcastle United for Sandro Tonali in shock Premier League move On why the deal later collapsed, the ex-Zagreb director revealed that demands from one players side of the table scuppered the agreement.Unfortunately, the deal eventually fell through, partly because of crazy new demands from Halilovics side, claimed Mamic. The midfielder would eventually play in England nearly a decade later for Birmingham City, then Reading, in the Championship.Jedvaj, whose top-flight career played out predominantly with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, is currently at Al-Shabab, while Halilovic, just 30-years-old, is club-less after leaving Fortuna Sittard.Still, it appears that Mamic nearly manufactured the perfect heist in shipping them to Spurs, even with Levys testy boardroom antics and he would have gotten away with it, too, if it werent for that meddlin Halilovic.TOPICSTottenham HotspurDinamo ZagrebKedar BayleySocial Links NavigationFreelance WriterKedar Bayley is a trained journalist specialising in culture reporting. As a fan of Liverpool FC,he writes on the Reds often. Knowledgable about all things sports, cinema and television,you can find his words in Screen International, FourFourTwo, Manchester Evening News and more.