Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race to sign Marco Asensio ahead of the summer transfer window…
What is the latest on Marco Asensio to Spurs?
That’s according to Football Insider, who claim that Spurs are tracking the Real Madrid star as his £118k-per-week contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.
The Lilywhites face competition from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal, with the 27-year-old seemingly likely to leave the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of his deal.
Despite being part of three Champions League triumphs at Los Blancos, manager Carlo Ancelotti has said that he ‘does not care’ if Asensio leaves the LaLiga giants in the summer.
What is the latest on Lucas Moura’s future at Spurs?
With the arrival of Arnaut Danjuma in January, the north Londoners are pretty well-stocked in the attacking department, though he is only at Hotspur Way on loan, whilst Lucas Moura’s contract is set to expire.
It seems unlikely that the club will renew the 30-year-old Brazilian’s £90k-per-week deal as injuries and inconsistencies have halted his Spurs career – it’s certainly been a very long time since we saw him live up to his Ajax-downing form.
Having signed in a £25m deal from Paris Saint-Germain under Mauricio Pochettino, the veteran flop has managed only five goals and ten assists since the start of the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, via Transfermarkt, meaning he’s averaged just one contribution every 215 minutes. In 2018/19, by comparison, he scored a whopping ten goals in just 32 appearances.
In Asensio, sporting director Fabio Paratici could find a viable replacement – if not upgrade – on Moura, who was once hailed as a “nightmare” in training by teammate Eric Dier.
The Spain international has been in fine form this campaign, even though he’s sat behind the more luxurious options of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, having scored six goals and laid on a further five assists across 26 appearances, per Transfemarkt.
Such returns see him rank in the top 8% for non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists, when compared to fellow attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five divisions, via FBref, who also compare his statistical profile to that of Heung-min Son and Lionel Messi.
It’s why his former teammate Casemiro previously hailed him as “magical,” whilst former Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton once lauded him as a “special talent.”
As such, Paratici and co could find a perfect upgrade to Moura by winning the race for Asensio’s signature ahead of the summer transfer window.
It’s clear that the Brazilian’s days are numbered, given just how little he has seen the pitch this campaign, and from the evidence above, the Spaniard would surely be one hell of a free transfer for Antonio Conte – or whoever is at the helm come 2023/24.
AND in other news, Levy to target “influential” 43 y/o lauded by Klopp as Spurs handed big Conte update…