Tottenham were in talks with Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui before turning to former Roma coach Paulo Fonseca.
Tottenham's search for a replacement for Jose Mourinho has dragged on for almost two months after the Portuguese was sacked in mid-April.
Lopetegui performed a U-turn on swapping La Liga for the Premier League despite agreeing a deal with the Lilywhites.
That's according to Sunday Times journalist Duncan Castles, who told The Transfer Window podcast: "They ( Tottenham ) went a long way down the line with Julien Lopetegui, the Sevilla coach.
"They had agreed terms with Sevilla to release him from his contract for £4million, the release clause in his contract and also agreed terms on a contract.
"Then for personal reasons related to family matters and because of changes brought about on movement of individuals because of Brexit, Lopetegui pulled out of that deal and Tottenham then went for Fonseca."
