Tottenham Transfer News: Spurs bid £87m for "fantastic" midfielder – report

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly lodged an £87m bid for one of Real Madrid’s regular starters.

Spurs’ season was dealt yet another setback at the weekend, with the Lilywhites labouring to a 2-2 draw at lowly Burnley, salvaging a point thanks to a late Cristian Romero equaliser.

The result has put even more pressure on manager Thomas Frank, who is now in danger of being unable to see out the January transfer window, during which he has tried to reshape his Spurs team.

Conor Gallagher and Souza have been the high-profile signings in N17, but it looks as though any drastic changes in fortunes on the pitch will take some time.

However, a new report has suggested that Spurs remain ambitious in the market despite their domestic woes.

According to Fichajes, Real Madrid have received two bids worth €100m (£87m) for midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, with Tottenham and Liverpool both keen to bring the Frenchman to the Premier League.

Its report states that Spurs see the 25-year-old as an immediate fit, while their apparent approach follows a long-term interest in the player, who was hailed as “fantastic” by former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.

However, this story, whether at face value or after digging into the details, provides plenty of cause for scepticism among those hoping to see Tchouameni make what would be a sensational switch to Spurs.

One aspect is the project on offer. Spurs are languishing in the lower regions of the Premier League table, with the weekend’s draw leaving them just eight points above the drop.

This is coming from the side that finished in 17th last term, albeit with a European trophy to cushion their fall from the top flight’s upper echelons.

Tchouameni is a Real Madrid regular – he starts every game he is available for. Is he really going to be happy swapping life at the Bernabeu for a spell at, statistically, one of the Premier League’s worst sides? Especially with a Liverpool offer thought to be on the table as well, that certainly seems fanciful.

Real Madrid’s stance appears to put any hope of Tottenham affecting Tchouameni’s future to bed, with Los Blancos seeing the France international as a key part of their project – in fact, he was labelled as a ‘cornerstone’ in Fichajes’ report.

Therefore, it would likely take a lot more to get him out of the Spanish capital, and with Spurs on a path to fall further behind the Premier League’s richest following successive poor campaigns, there appears to be no reason to get excited about this report.

Stranger things have happened, but even if true, this would most likely be an example of Spurs acting above their station.

Graduated in Sport Journalism (BA) with first-class honours from the University of Brighton and has since had bylines in The Times, sports business publication SportsPro, Football FanCast and The Gooner fanzine.

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