Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly offered €2m (£1.74m) for on-loan U-21 Spanish goalkeeper Pau Lopez on a permanent transfer (The Guardian). The youngster joined Tottenham last summer on a loan deal and now it looks like Mauricio Pochettino is impressed with the lad, thus looking to buy him permanently.
Spurs have offered Espanyol €2m (£1.74m) plus a further €2m in add-ons. The proposal includes a clause that would guarantee the Spanish club a cut of any future sale and Tottenham are confident it will be accepted.
Lopez, who will play for Spain at the European Under-21 Championship in Poland later this month, did not feature for Tottenham during the season but he is highly rated by the manager, Mauricio Pochettino.
Pau Lopez has just one year left on his current contract with Espanyol, which is set to expire next summer. So this puts Tottenham in a strong negotiating position. Spurs had the chance to buy Lopez outright last January for €7m (£6.08m) but they passed it up, largely because they felt that they could get him for less.
We are delighted to announce the signing of goalkeeper Pau Lopez on a season-long loan from Espanyol. #WelcomeLopez pic.twitter.com/xtZLZLbsCD
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 31, 2016
Pau Lopez admitted earlier that he joined Tottenham only for Mauricio Pochettino.
He told the club’s website:
“Mauricio made everything possible, if he wasn’t here, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to play here. He trusted me when I was a youth player at Espanyol. I’m very grateful to him.
“I love it here, the training, life here is good. Even the weather is good, not that it’s a problem for me!”
Pochettino seems to have identified a talented young goalkeeper for the future and also praised the 21-year old in April, saying,
“He is very competitive and has a strong character. He needs to learn and improve but he is ready – physically and mentally.”
In the case that Pochettino really wants to sign the goalkeeper on a permanent basis, it would surely be because he sees the potential of the player. Certainly, Pau Lopez was professional during his time at White Hart Lane and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t sign him.
A goalkeeper for the future is really essential and why not sign Pau Lopez?
