Tottenham appeared to have settled into their 2016/17 campaign with reasonable comfort, claiming a respectable four points from two hard fought games against Everton and Crystal Palace.
However, these results have not come without negatives, the most prevalent of these being the injury to Hugo Lloris, that will keep the Frenchman out of goal for at least another three weeks.
This means that Michel Vorm is the only fit goalkeeper available to Mauricio Pochettino at the moment, and naturally led to an increase in media speculation over a move for a new stopper, with Espanyol’s Pau Lopez at the top of the list. But it appears Spurs’ move for the 21-year-old may be on the rocks, with several bids having been rejected by the Catalan club, according to Sky Sports.
Lopez, who already has 38 La Liga appearances to his name, has worked under Pochettino before and is seen by the North London club as an option for the future. Espanyol were reported to be holding out for around £13 million for the player, whilst Spurs were hoping for a deal closer to £5 million, and it appears that the clubs are still way apart in their valuations.
Lopez was left out of Espanyol’s 6-4 defeat to Sevilla at the weekend amid the rumours, which may be of some comfort to Spurs fans who wish the deal to go through, but for now, it appears that the Barcelona-based club are playing hard ball over their young, talented goalkeeper.
Elsewhere, Spurs have been dealt another blow in the transfer market, with Fulham declaring that they must pay £8 million to secure the signing of 16-year-old left-back Ryan Sessegnon, according to the Sun.
Sessegnon, who only made his Championship debut last week, is a hotly tipped prospect, with incredible pace and athleticism, and is a player who Spurs wish to secure the services of now before his value increases further over the next few seasons.
Still, £8 million is very steep for a player with such little game time, and Spurs are rumoured to be interested in a player exchange in order to sweeten the deal with their London neighbours. This could be a wise move, especially if a departing player is one with little or no future at the Lane.
It is a gamble, as it always is when young players are invested in, but if Sessegnon can be as good a player as his potential suggests, it may just be a deal worth doing.
Staying in the Championship, Spurs have been linked with Nottingham Forest winger Oliver Burke, who has made a great impression at the start of this season.
Burke, already a senior Scotland international at 19, scored twice in his side’s 4-3 win over Wigan and has reportedly been watched by Spurs alongside a number of other Premier League clubs, including rivals Arsenal.
Again, the price is steep, with £10 million the amount being rumoured for Burke, and the deal would go through with the intention of the teen returning to the City Ground for the coming season. Forest fans will be hoping they can keep hold of their exciting winger, but for Spurs, it could be another good move for the future.
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