Djurgarden director explains how Tottenham won race for Barcelona target

Djurgarden sporting director Bo Andersson has revealed 'very good communication' with Tottenham helped seal the transfer of Lucas Bergvall to north London.

Spurs completed a stunning move for the highly-rated Sweden international on Friday, stealing him from under the nose of Spanish giants Barcelona - Bergvall had been spotted in Catalonia with reports indicating he was close to sealing a transfer to La Liga.

The central midfielder will link up with Ange Postecoglou's squad in the summer, having made his debut at senior international level back in January.

Speaking about the deal, Andersson admitted there was interest from other clubs in Bergvall.

"All parties involved - Lucas, Djurgarden, Tottenham, BP and the Bergvall family - are very happy and proud that the deal is done. It has been a long process with a number of interested clubs, which then culminated in Lucas visiting two clubs to make his choice himself.

"We have since had a dialogue with both clubs and it feels good that Lucas himself has made his choice based on what he himself believes in. He has had time to make that decision together with his family, which has been an important part.

"I feel a sense of pride that the deal was able to be completed in this way. There are many satisfied and proud parties who have been on this trip and we have to thank for the trust we received from the Brommapojkarna and the Bergvall family.

"The good dialogue with Tottenham Hotspur in connection with the transfer has also contributed to everything landing well.

"We have had very good communication with Tottenham, for which we are very grateful. Besides, it's Lucas' birthday today [Friday], so you can say that it's a pretty good 18th birthday that he gets to experience.

"The next thing he will do is join the team in camp on Sunday and it's nice for all of us to be able to put this aside. Now we can all instead focus on football and the challenges ahead and it will be a lot of fun to follow Lucas in Djurgarden during the spring."

Andersson also explained Barca's interest, with the La Liga champions previously confident of securing a deal.

He added: "Yes, you can't lie about the Barca visit since he was caught on camera. And then there was one more club that I don't want to name.

"It's also important to have concrete bids. There may be rumours, but we focused on the clubs we agreed with. He was given permission to visit them."

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