Espanyol goalkeeper Pau Lopez would have continued at Tottenham Hotspur, if the two clubs had agreed a fee for the 23-year-old. When he joined Tottenham on a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2016, the Premier League club had an option of signing him on a permanent deal.
Pau was told by Tottenham in March 2017 that they would exercise the option of signing him last summer. However, the north London club considered the quoted fee of €7m “too high” for a player who had one year left on his contract.
“Last season I went to England. Tottenham had an option of signing me on a permanent deal,” Pau was quoted as saying by Sport.
“In March, Tottenham told me they wanted to sign me. However, they didn’t want to pay the agreed amount, because the fee was too high for a player who had one year left on his contract.
“Espanyol, through its sports director, decided that either they pay the €7m or I must return to the club.”
Pau was the third choice keeper when he was at Spurs, behind Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm. He failed to make a single appearance for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Leading up to last summer there were almost daily articles on the Pau Lopez saga in Spain, and it was claimed Tottenham were amounts as low as €2m for the player. Impressing for Espanyol this season, Pau is now expected to join Real Betis on a free transfer, feeling he hasn’t been valued enough by his current club.
Time will tell if not simply paying a few million more will prove costly for Tottenham.
