Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to bring Mikel Oyarzabal to North London from Real Sociedad.
Though Philippe Coutinho remains non-committal about his long-term future at Liverpool, the Anfield giants hold all the cards with the Brazilian signing a new five-year deal earlier this year.
According to The Mirror, Barcelona are set to resume their campaign to bring Coutinho to the Camp Nou in the New Year with an offer in excess of £100 million.
But with Liverpool unlikely to sell after playing hardball in the summer, it seems that the La Liga leaders have a few alternatives in mind – one of whom is Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal.
The winger has been one of the most improved players in Spain’s top flight this season, scoring six times in 12 starts. And with a place in Spain’s World Cup squad a definite possibility, the report suggests that Oyarzabal could cap a superb season with a big-money move to Barcelona.
Though this will not go down well with Tottenham Hotspur. Calciomercato reported last month that Spurs were targeting the left footed right winger with manager Mauricio Pochettino a big fan.
Oyarzabal would likely slot into the right of Spurs’ attack, perhaps replacing the injury-prone Erik Lamela or offering a more creative and technical alternative to Moussa Sissoko.
But what chance would Spurs realistically have of luring the 23-year-old to North London if Barcelona come calling? It seems that, inadvertently, Liverpool’s refusal to accept defeat over Coutinho could have a knock-on effect on Tottenham’s January plans.
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