Tottenham still trying to play Rennes fixture

Tottenham offered to play their postponed Europa Conference League match against Rennes in France this week as they continue to scramble to find a date to play the postponed fixture.

Spurs pulled out of the game after their Covid-19 outbreak but technically did not meet UEFA's requirements for postponing the game - 13 available players, one goalkeeper - leading to a war of words with a disgruntled Rennes.

UEFA have warned Spurs that they have until the end of the calendar year to find a date to play the match or else they will be forced to forfeit, which would see them drop out of the competition behind both Rennes and Vitesse.

Manager Antonio Conte has confirmed that Spurs have tried to find time in their hectic Premier League schedule to play the game, even trying to push back Thursday's meeting with Leicester to face Rennes, but their request was denied.

"We don't find a good solution between UEFA and the Premier League, why does Tottenham have to pay for this?" Conte said (via the Daily Mail).

"It's not fair we have to pay for a situation that isn't our fault. I understand if we did something wrong but in this way, for the club, the players, the staff, it's very difficult to understand what is happening."

The Athletic state that Spurs offered to travel to France to face Rennes this week, but the Premier League's refusal to postpone the Leicester game has given them no time to make the trip.

Spurs' schedule is fully booked until 2022, with Conte's men playing in every weekend and midweek slot until January, at which point they would have missed UEFA's deadline.

It's suggested that the Premier League have tried to accommodate the Rennes fixture but have been forced to prioritise their own fixtures, many of which are already in doubt because of the rapid rise of Covid-19 cases.