Real Sociedad’s Yuri Berchiche – formerly of Tottenham – is reportedly wanted by Real Madrid.
General View of White Hart Lane
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Real Madrid are interested in signing Real Sociedad left back Yuri Berchiche – less than seven years since he was released by Tottenham.
Yuri, 27, joined Spurs from Athletic Bilbao back in 2007 at the age of just 17, and whilst he was tipped for a bright future, his time in North London was largely uneventful.
The left back spent time on loan at Cheltenham Town and Real Valladolid, before Tottenham decided to release the Spaniard in 2010, without him ever making a first team appearance for Spurs.
After a move to Real Union, Yuri joined Real Sociedad in 2012, and having spent two years on loan at Eibar, he is now a first-team regular with Sociedad, having made 25 La Liga appearances so far this term.
Now, it sees his performances for Sociedad have sparked interest as Marca claim that Real Madrid are tracking Yuri ahead of a possible summer move to sign him.
Whilst Marcelo is Real Madrid’s undoubted first choice at left back, concerns over Fabio Coentrao’s fitness mean that Zinedine Zidane’s side are searching for backup left back – and Yuri fits the bill.
Such a move would cap off a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Yuri, who was on the scrapheap following his release from Spurs, but could now find himself turning out for Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale
The move would also see Yuri reunite with former Spurs team-mate Gareth Bale, who the Spaniard once admitted was the reason he couldn’t break through at Spurs, as in his early years at White Hart Lane, he was Tottenham’s young left back of choice for the reserves.
Speaking to Diario Vasco in 2013, Yuri claimed that having failed to break into the side ahead of Bale, he went out on loan to Cheltenham – and whilst they could reunite, Yuri won’t be battling for first-team football with the Welshman, who is now a left winger rather than a left back.
Tottenham’s academy have done sterling work in recent years, bringing through the likes of Harry Winks and Harry Kane, but letting Yuri go for nothing may just prove to be something of a mistake from previous Spurs regimes.
Do you think Spurs should have kept Yuri?
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