L’Equipe have another update on Serge Aurier to Tottenham in their Tuesday edition.
Tottenham fans should be used to updates on Aurier from the French press, with Spurs now the chosen destination to be repeatedly reported, after Manchester United somewhat slipped away.
L’Equipe claim Tottenham were close on Monday night to an ‘agreement in principle’ to sign Aurier for around €25m, with everything then resting on the outcome of the player’s legal case.
In the next paragraph L’Equipe report the figure will be superior to €25m, and it’s stated that Aurier has had personal terms agreed with Tottenham for ten days.
Exactly a week ago, the same French newspaper reported personal terms were almost agreed, but not fully agreed yet.
Then on Wednesday, L’Equipe reported Aurier had a ‘quasi-agreement’ with Tottenham, and it was clearly stated Daniel Levy had been in contact with PSG and ‘The total cost of the operation will be some 25 million euros.’
Chelsea were ready to ‘ambush’ the deal, but they don’t even get a mention today.
Mauricio Pochettino is said to have got involved personally, a theme in many Tottenham transfer rumours this summer.
That’s it on the claims about the actual transfer and agreement or not. There’s at least a slight contradiction on what has been reported previously, but not huge.
Once again everything comes back to the work permit, and Aurier’s appeal against a two month prison sentence for violence against the French police.
Aurier’s lawyer is said to be working on getting an official document formalising the decision of an appeal. The decision has, according to the claims, already been taken but hasn’t been communicated.
‘Several law firms’ are working on the case, according to L’Equipe, and if it all fails then a move to Italy is on the agenda.
Aurier has also been looking to get a French passport, which would allow him to work within the EU freely, without the need for a permit. Moving from the Ivory Coast to France as a child, the 24 year old hasn’t managed to get a French passport yet, for various reasons including problems with paperwork.
This doesn’t seem a great step forward from previous Aurier to Tottenham claims, or the Manchester United ones which preceded them. Terms pretty much agreed, price pretty much agreed… work permit a problem.
