Report claims Mourinho ‘pushing’ Tottenham to sign Maxime Lopez at bargain £8.9m

Tottenham Hotspur are being linked with a move for the French midfielder who Zinedine Zidane is a big fan of.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly a fan of Marseille midfielder Maxime Lopez and could make a move for the player this summer. 

That is according to a report from Estadio Deportivo. They are suggesting that negotiations over any contract negotiation at Marseille have fallen apart for the midfielder, amid the club’s financial problems. 

It means that Marseille are looking to sell Lopez this summer and have placed a €10 million (£8.9m) price-tag on his head, although could be willing to discuss a deal at a lower price. 

Mourinho is said to be a big fan of the player and will be ‘pushing’ the management at Spurs to start negotiations regarding a deal for the player. 

Lopez is out of contract at Marseille in 2021 and has struggled to cement a regular first-team place in the Marseille first-team under the guidance of former Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas, a former coaching protege of the Tottenham boss, although that relationship is now reportedly (Guardian) strained.

The 22-year-old has not played a full 90 minutes in Ligue 1 since September and has largely been operating from the bench, often out of position in a right-wing role.

Tottenham would undoubtedly be hoping that Lopez could be a bargain at just £8.9 million, especially in the current market where clubs will be restricted in their spending due to the global health crisis. 

Lopez’s stock may have fallen, but in 2018 Zinedine Zidane told Goal that the midfielder was an ‘outstanding natural talent’ with ‘amazing’ ability. 

Back then, signing Lopez would have been a near-£30 million venture. The possibility of signing him for less than £10 million is clearly something Tottenham are interested in and rightly so. 

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