Shakhtar Donetsk rejects Tottenham's £11.8m bid for Willian

Tottenham have failed in their bid to sign Willian after Shakhtar Donetsk rejected an £11.8million bid for their midfielder.

Chairman Daniel Levy has made the Brazilian his top priority after the protracted deal for Luka Modric to join Real Madrid was finally completed on Monday morning.

The north London club will continue negotiations for the 24-year-old and have until Friday evening to conclude the deal before the transfer window closes.

Willian was upset with his Ukrainian club when they rejected an offer from Chelsea earlier in the summer. And he urged his club to allow him to leave after Tottenham made clear their desire to sign him.

He said: 'I have a proposal, but it is complicated because the board. Here are many players in the same position, mostly Brazilian. They buy and do not let go.

'That's the problem. Everyone knows that I want out, I'm here for five years, won many titles, so I hope you respect my will.

'I do not regret coming here, but this situation has been happening, with Chelsea trying to get me in January and now Tottenham, we start to rethink.'

The Brazilian told Sportsmail last August he would love to play in London and that if he joined Tottenham his mission would be to secure a return to the Champions League, after the club reached the quarter-finals in 2011.