The Premier League could soon be home to Maxime Lopez with Spurs and West Ham United reportedly offered Marseille’s Ligue 1 starlet.
Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have both been offered the chance to sign Marseille midfielder Maxime Lopez for a bargain £10 million this summer, according to the Daily Star – and it seems that the Premier League rivals are keen on the idea too.
A talented 22-year-old who turned down the chance to join Liverpool in the latter days of Brendan Rodgers’ reign could belatedly be on his way to England.
It is no secret that Marseille needed to cash in on a few key players this summer to avoid potential FFP sanctions – and that was before the global health crisis threatened to hand the coffers another kicking.
And, according to The Star, the French giants are now willing to accept just £10 million for Lopez, two months after rejecting £4 million more than that from La Liga outfit Sevilla.
Tottenham and West Ham are understood to have been contacted to gauge their interest in the homegrown prospect, with both London clubs intrigued by the idea of landing one of Europe’s most promising young playmakers for a cut-price fee.
Lopez has been a regular under Andre Villas-Boas, the former Spurs boss, this season, making 27 appearances in all competitions and providing three assists.
“(Lopez) basically controlls the rhythm of our game,” the one-time Chelsea coach told Sport after Lopez inspired a 3-1 win over Strasbourg in January.
“He is a player who takes risks, he always looks for one-two, small passes in the middle.”
With Jose Mourinho crying out for a ‘positional midfielder’ his Spurs side are so clearly lacking, there may be a key role awaiting Lopez in North London. Could this nimble, 5ft 6ins dynamo fulfil the role of a Nemanja Matic, a Thiago Motta or a Claude Makelele under Mourinho at Tottenham?
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