Tottenham Hotspur have become the latest big Premier League club to be linked with Serge Aurier.
It looked like the right back was being eased out of PSG even before Dani Alves’ arrival, and the French club would happily see the back of the Ivory Coast international.
With a string of controversies behind him, Aurier has been frustrated by not being automatic first choice at PSG, and now he may not even be automatic second choice.
Tottenham links were probably inevitable after the departure of Kyle Walker, and this could be more agents trying to build a deal on behalf of Aurier and PSG, rather than Spurs independently pushing forward.
Despite that, France’s Telefoot insist Tottenham have ‘just entered the race’ to sign Aurier, and talks are underway to see if a deal can be reached.
The Tottenham claims are very similar to Man United ones a week ago, when L’Equipe reported Manchester United had just come back into the race. That claim may have been laundered, repackaged and presented as something new in the English media, but it started in France and there’s been no advance there.
What L’Equipe mentioned a week ago as a barrier to a Manchester United deal very much applies to Tottenham too.
In November Aurier was refused entry to the UK to play for PSG against Arsenal. That was mainly, but not entirely, due to a case hanging over Aurier since May 2016 relating to violence against police.
Should the legal problems be sorted out, and Tottenham not be bothered by that dirty mark, or any other part of Aurier’s history, then they could probably buy him for around £20m, maybe £15m if PSG get desperate and the runners in the race to sign Aurier disappear.
