Watford will demand a big fee for their coveted midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, wanted by Premier League giants Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs.
If Tottenham Hotspur want to sign Watford powerhouse Abdoulaye Doucoure next summer, they will have to make him the second most expensive signing in the club’s history.
Though the Hornets want to make a massive profit on the player they signed for just £6 million from Rennes – and have slapped a £40 million price-tag on his head.
Tottenham have only ever paid more for a player once and that was last summer, when Davinson Sanchez arrived from Ajax for a club-record £42.5 million.
And though Doucoure’s valuation is a little steep even in this market, who knows, perhaps the 25-year-old could still prove to be a bargain signing for the North London giants in the coming years?
After all, it is understood that Spurs would make Doucoure the long-term successor for the influential Mousa Dembele, who is five years older and out of contract in the summer of 2019.
There are not many players around who can replicate the Belgian’s ability to control the tempo from deep, both break up and start attacks with his positional intelligence and powerful bursts of acceleration. Doucoure, however, is one of the few on the market blessed with a similar skill-set – which explains why Tottenham are hot on his trail.
Dembele is priceless for Mauricio Pochettino, so Spurs should not be put off by the fee required to sign his replacement. If Doucoure proves to be as essential as Dembele, £40 million would look a snip.
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