Tottenham Hotspur winger Erik Lamela is linked with a move to Roma.
It appears like Erik Lamela might be an unwanted man at Tottenham Hotspur.
Calciomercato reported this week that Tottenham will not offer the 25-year-old a contract extension in North London, with his existing deal expiring in 2020.
Not only that, but reports from La Roma 24 last week claimed that Spurs had offered Roma the chance to re-sign the Argentine winger, who joined the Lilywhites for around £30 million in 2013 (The Guardian).
Lamela has only just returned from a 12-month absence with a hip injury and all the signs suggest that chairman Daniel Levy is ready to cut his losses on a player who manager Mauricio Pochettino likes a lot.
But considering the Roma link, should Levy use the opportunity to ask about midfielder Kevin Strootman?
Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Newport County offered further evidence that Mousa Dembele is on the wane and Tottenham do appear to be scouting replacements, following links to the likes of Geoffrey Kondogbia.
The Dutch midfielder has put his injury worries to one side and has made over 50 Serie A appearances since the start of the 2016-17 season, reminding the continent why he was so highly rated and constantly linked with Manchester United.
It is plausible that the 27-year-old – valued at £22.5 million, claim Transfermarkt – could be a natural successor to Dembele that the Lilywhites need. Harry Winks has his talents, but Strootman is a level above the academy graudate.
Swap deals might be coming back into fashion in English football, after Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan swapped places this month, and if not a straight swap then a player-plus-cash deal for Strootman might be a very decent move for the North Londoners.
According to TSMSportz, he earns around £48,000-a-week in the Italian capital, putting him within Spurs’ wage structure.
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