According to The Evening Standard, Tottenham target Geoffrey Kondogbia could be available for around €30m (£26.3m) this summer.
What’s the word?
The Valencia midfielder has been linked with a move to the north London side in recent weeks, with Sky Sports reporting back in March that the club’s chief scout, Steve Hitchen, is a “long-term admirer” of the Frenchman.
Now, The Evening Standard claim that Kondogbia could leave for considerably less than originally expected, especially if Valencia fail to qualify for the Champions League next season (the Spanish side currently lie in seventh in the La Liga table).
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The report adds that Valencia will listen to offers for any of their players, and that with them keen to make a profit on the €25m (£21.9m) they paid to sign Kondogbia from Inter, the midfielder could depart for around €30m.
Perfect chance
Kondogbia’s name has been linked with a move for Spurs for a number of seasons now, but the big stumbling block has been the midfielder’s substantial release clause, claimed to be around the €80m (£70.2m) mark.
But with the current situation surrounding the world impacting football too, Daniel Levy could have a perfect opportunity to sign a long-term target for the club at a fraction of the price it would have cost to bring him a couple of summers ago.
The 6 foot 2 ace is a midfield powerhouse who offers something completely different to the current crop of players who feature in the engine room at Spurs. Capable of being the enforcer in front of the back four (he averages 2.4 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game in La Liga this season), he can also drive forward with surging runs (he has a career average of 1.4 dribbles per match).
Remind Spurs fans of anyone? Mousa Dembele of course was similar in the way he could go through the gears with his skill and power, and Kondogbia’s height and physicality can ensure that the Lilywhites finally get the heir to his throne, over a year after the Belgian’s departure.
Meanwhile, Spurs fans reminisce about this former star’s time in north London.