Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race to sign Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar and have offered the French side the chance to replace him with Tanguy Ndombele.
Aouar is expected to leave Lyon this summer after missing a place in the Champions League next season, and there is no lack of interest for the 23-year-old.
Aouar will leave Lyon / Eurasia Sport Images / Getty Images
Links to the Premier League have existed over the past year, and Arsenal are most keen to take Aouar over to England, but there has recently been interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
Spurs were credited with an interest in Aouar earlier in July, when it was revealed that the midfielder could be available for just over 20 million pounds this summer, but according to ESPN, Spurs want to save money and have instead offered a direct exchange with Ndombele.
The 24-year-old Ndombele rose to Lyon between 2017 and 2019, after which he became Spurs’ record signing when he joined the club on a £ 63m deal, but things have not exactly worked out for the midfielder and he has apparently been made available to transfer.
Spurs are said to be ready to take a huge loss on Ndombele by sending him back to Lyon, but the belief is that the French side prefer money in exchange for Aouar due to their shortcomings in the league last season.
There has been no formal response from Lyon yet, but talks are ongoing between the two sides and it is Spurs’ responsibility to improve their bid before another suitor returns to the table.
Ndombele may be on his way out / Visionhaus / Getty Images
Arsenal offered over 30 million pounds for Aouar last summer, when the midfielder was valued at over 50 million pounds, but the Gunners have been active already this year and may not have that kind of money left.
£ 8m spent on left-back Nuno Tavares and a £ 15m deal for Anderlecht midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga is nearing completion, but a need to sell players before further signings could give Spurs a window to sneak in and get a deal done for Aouar.
