Pau Lopez to Tottenham Hotspur is starting to get the real Spurs treatment, according to Spanish newspaper Sport.
Tottenham are known for their tough negotiating tactics led by Daniel Levy, which has benefitted the club financially but also seen players lost. If the Spanish claims are correct, then the tough negotiating even continues when a fee has been agreed.
Espanyol loaned Pau to Tottenham last summer, with the Premier League club having a buying option of €7m. Sport say that despite Mauricio Pochettino being delighted with Pau, and Tottenham wanting the player permanently, the club are trying to get the price down.
Tottenham have put a proposal forward which would mean a lower fee, of course, and then some of the offer made up of bonuses. That’s certainly not what Espanyol have been expecting, believing the price had already been agreed and set. The Barcelona club have already been allocating the money they assumed they’d receive for Pau, with 
signing Diego Lopez permanently a priority.
It’s been claimed this week in the English media that Diario AS reported Tottenham must pay a €500k penalty if Pau doesn’t make his debut this season. That’s incorrect and a mistranslation, with AS actually reporting Spurs would have to pay such an amount as compensation should they decide not to buy the player permanently.
There’s no penalty if Pau Lopez doesn’t play for Tottenham this season.
