Tottenham and West Ham United have been handed an early transfer blow with La Razon reporting that Maxime Lopez has agreed to become Sevilla’s first signing of the summer.
While Marseille might have had a season to remember on the pitch, finishing runners up behind PSG in Ligue 1 while qualifying for the Champions League again after a seven year absence, things off the pitch are not going quite so smoothly.
The 1993 European champions have found themselves in a financial nightmare, one exacerbated by the ongoing global health crisis. As a result, Marseille will have no choice but to cash in on some of the players who have shone under Andre Villas-Boas at the Stade Velodrome.
The Star reports that Lopez was offered to West Ham while, as claimed by Estadio Deportivo, Jose Mourinho was desperate to bring the 22-year-old playmaker to Spurs.
Aston Villa also launched a £10 million bid, via ArenaNapoli.
But it looks like three Premier League clubs are set to be pipped to the post. Reports in Spain claim that Sevilla have won the race for the £8 million-rated Lopez, who is expected to replace the departing Ever Banega at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Lopez, a deep-lying midfielder with a fine passing range, has previously admitted that Sevilla were interested in signing him and it feels like only a matter of time now before a long-awaited deal is concluded.
Considering that Mourinho is crying out for a talented ‘number six’ capable of controlling the tempo of the game, failing to sign Lopez for just £8 million feels like a real missed opportunity.
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