Tottenham Hotspur are struggling to meet Chelsea’s £20 million valuation for centre-back Kurt Zouma with Everton hoping to land a former Toffees favourite on loan, according to The Mirror (11 June, page 53).
This time last year, Spurs and The Toffees surely wouldn’t have had any qualms about paying £20 million for a proven Premier League performer with France international caps on his CV.
Especially after Zouma impressed during a 2018/19 loan spell at Goodison Park. The former St Etienne stopper also has a firm admirer in the shape of Jose Mourinho, the Spurs boss who brought him to London all those years ago.
“He’s our new Marcel Desailly,” the then-Chelsea boss said in 2015.
Tottenham have conceded goals at an alarming rate since appointing football’s Mr Pragmatism as their new head coach and, as you might imagine, Mourinho is keen to sure things up as soon as possible.
But with chairman Daniel Levy keeping the pursestrings tight (Tottenham have a space-age new stadium to pay for after all), Mourinho himself has admitted that big-money signings will be few and far between this summer (Sun).
That might offer an insight into why they cannot afford to pay the £20 million Chelsea are demanding for Zouma.
It remains to be seen, then, if Tottenham take a leaf out of Everton’s books by targeting the 25-year-old on loan instead.
But why on earth would Chelsea even consider strengthening a direct Premier League rival without making a penny in return?
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