Tottenham Hotspur still have time to snap up goalkeeper Pau Lopez.
Pau Lopez
Espanyol chief executive Ramon Robert has told Marca that Tottenham have until June 30th to sign goalkeeper Pau Lopez within the terms of his loan move.
Lopez, 22, came up through the ranks at Espanyol after joining from Girona aged 12, and after making 48 first-team appearances, he earned a Premier League move last summer.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino – who served as Espanyol manager whilst Lopez was coming up through the ranks with the club – swooped on deadline day in August to land the goalkeeper.
Despite already having Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm at the club, Pochettino signed Lopez on a season-long loan deal, and many fans will wonder just why he was signed.
Tottenham’s Pau Lopez and Son Heung-min during training
The Spaniard didn’t play a single first-team game for Spurs this past season, with Lloris and Vorm largely avoiding injury throughout the campaign, leaving Lopez to sit on the sidelines or play for the Under-23’s.
Now, Lopez is set to return to Espanyol, and Espanyol chief executive Ramon Robert has been discussing the situation in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca.
Atletico Madrid’s Lucas Hernandez fights for the ball against Espanyol’s goalkeeper Pau Lopez
Robert has claimed that Tottenham’s clause to sign Lopez expires after the 30th of June, leaving them with 18 days left to activate that clause – or he will return to Espanyol.
“He is a Tottenham player until June 30, and they have an option to buy until that date, which they can exercise. If they does not, Pau is an Espanyol player,” said Robert.
Intriguingly, The Independent report that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is haggling over the agreed price, as he doesn’t want to pay the £5million buyout clause, and is hoping to negotiate a cheaper deal with Espanyol this summer.
Would you like to see Tottenham sign Lopez permanently?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
