Tottenham reportedly want a £27m star who Andres Iniesta called ‘exceptional’

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Jose Mourinho’s Spurs reportedly want to bring Arthur Melo away from La Liga champions Barcelona and into the Premier League.

Considering that Arthur Melo grew up watching on in awe as the ‘football god’ Andres Iniesta scythed apart another unwitting defensive line, that gushing praise from the Barcelona legend must have felt like something of a ‘pinch me’ moment.

“I think that just watching him play everybody realises that he is a player who has a strong personality, who always knows what to do with the ball,” Iniesta would tell DAZN of an ‘exceptional’ midfielder who inherited his feted number eight shirt at the Camp Nou.

“He is young, he also needs a process of adaptation to the team and, nevertheless, it is already seen that he is very attuned with that type of game.”

While Barcelona have been accused many fans, critics and legends alike of betraying their Cruyffian principles in favour of adopting something akin to the flawed ‘Galactico’ policy once embodied by their time-honoured rivals Real, Arthur at least has red and blue flowing through his veins.

The 23-year-old Brazil international is a mix of Iniesta and Xavi, the sort of metronomic midfield maestro who can leave even the strongest of opponents whirling in a relentless passing carousel.

But all is not right at Barca, both on and off the pitch. They have just £25 million in the bank ahead of the summer transfer window and, if they are serious about signing a Neymar or a Lautaro Martinez, they will need to generate funds via player sales.

And that’s where Arthur comes in. According to Mundo Deportivo, Tottenham Hotspur have come knocking for the £27 million playmaker and, if the chance to make a substantial profit arrives, Barcelona might find a summer sale more than a little tempting.

Then again, it depends on whether Barcelona really are ‘more than a club’ after all. If they care about their history, their DNA, then Arthur is more important to the Blaugrana than Neymar will ever be.