Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Newcastle United stalwart Jamaal Lascelles this summer.
Lascelles has been superb for the Magpies this past season, and it is little surprise that a number of top Premier Leaguesides are keen on bagging his signature – as reported by the London Evening Standard – but Spurs fans would be forgiven for wondering whether they would be better off looking to spend their money elsewhere given his asking price.
The 24-year-old is still a somewhat unproven quantity at the highest level, and while he is invaluable to Rafa Benitez’s side, he may not enjoy such a prominent role at Tottenham if he did end up joining, and thus, paying £45 million for a deal may not make as much sense as it does for the Magpies to demand that sort of figure.
But perhaps a report from the Chronicle over the weekend should give Spurs slightly more optimism that they could potentially land Lascelles for a much more reasonable price.
The Chronicle suggested that Tottenham youngster Marcus Edwards is one of the players on Benitez’s radar this summer – and that comes just a few days after the Guardian suggested that Pochettino is ready to let the player he once likened to Lionel Messi leave.
The Guardian noted that Spurs still rate Edwards highly, so perhaps they could demand a decent fee for the 19-year-old if they let him go this summer.
And that should perhaps tempt Pochettino to see if there is scope for Lascelles’s asking price to drop if Edwards is included as part of the deal.
It would not be an ideal option for Newcastle to lose their key man, but if the centre-back gives any indication that he wants to go, or if Benitez feels that the funds may be useful, a swap that sees the two players head in opposite directions may not be the worst suggestion.
Perhaps, a swap could see Spurs greatly benefit from a player who they are currently ready to discard this summer.
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