Three Premier League clubs, Spurs, Villa and West Ham United, are potential destinations for Marseille’s Ligue 1 starlet Maxime Lopez.
If there is anyone to blame as to why Samir Nasri never never realised his potential to become one of the world’s truly elite midfield talents, well, it’s probably Samir Nasri.
Fortunately, it looks like his heir apparent does not share the former Arsenal and Man City star’s penchant for controversy. Maxime Lopez lets his football do the talking and, as a result, this unassuming little playmaker quietly established himself as the man who makes things tick at Marseille.
Unlike Nasri, who too was born in the southern France city before rising through the ranks at L’OM, Lopez is a dynamic deep-lying playmaker rather than a rambunctious number ten.
And man so often labelled the ‘new Nasri’ during his formative years at Marseille is finally stepping out of the shadow of France’s Enfant Terribles, though that has not stopped the 32-year-old from trying to hand Lopez some advice from the sidelines.
“He is a good player who likes to touch the ball, in the Spanish mould. He’s a nice player and I hope he stays at OM for as long as possible,” Nasri told UEFA before adding, via Le10 Sports;
“I would ask him to take more risks. He plays with too much comfort.”
Nasri might want Marseille to hang onto one of their finest young talents in years but, as it stands, it seems that the Ligue 1 giants will have no choice but to cash in as they look to avoid a financial nightmare over the summer months.
Lopez has already been offered to Tottenham and West Ham United, according to The Star. AreaNapoli, meanwhile, claims that Aston Villa have made a bid in the region of £10 million.
The question is; will Lopez follow in Nasri’s footsteps by moving across the Channel to show off his dazzling footwork in the Premier League – from a deeper position of course?
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