According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham are closing in on the signing of Bryan Gil, with the Sevilla forward set to arrive in a permanent deal.
What’s the story?
Well, the reliable Italian journalist broke the news earlier today.
Romano believes Erik Lamela will be heading the other way as part of a player-plus-cash deal for the Spanish winger.
Tottenham will hand Sevilla the Argentine, and also pay €25m (£21.6m) to bring Gil to north London.
Spurs could also end up paying more for the 20-year-old in add-ons.
Should this move go through, it would bring an end to Lamela’s eight-year stay at Tottenham.
However, it’s a no brainer from a long-term aspect to swap a 29-year-old for a 20-year-old.
Who is Bryan Gil?
Many of you might be wondering who Gil is.
Well, the 3-cap Spain international has been tipped for big things.
Barcelona scout Vaya Ballabriga spoke to Cadena Ser about the winger earlier this year, and confirmed that he was chasing Gil.
Ballabriga also compared the Tottenham target to Neymar, which is quite a bold claim.
The German scout said: “Right now he is Spain’s best footballer and I compare him with Neymar. He can do certain things and has great versatility, as he can play at full-back, in the middle or on the left wing. It’s impressive.”
We all know about Neymar, who is one of the best forwards in Europe.
In that respect, Spurs fans should start to get excited about Gil.
However, he is still only 20. Comparisons to Neymar – and Johan Cruyff, for what it’s worth – shouldn’t be held against him while he develops.
Moving to the Premier League at that age will be difficult, so it’s important not to put too much pressure on the wonderkid straight away.
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