If a time was made for Daniel Levy, then maybe that time is now. Tottenham Hotspur’s man of negotiating strength is revered (and maybe a little disliked) around Europe, having taken several clubs to the brink of nervous breakdown during talks, and often getting his way for Spurs.
Assuming Levy isn’t softening with age, the current situation at Marseille is made for him. La Provence report on Wednesday that Marseille simply have to sell players before the end of the month, and Michy Batshuayi is chief among them.
La Provence say Marseille are living ‘very dark hours’ financially and previous problems with finances, and the current situation of having an owner who can’t wait to get out of the place, mean that in order to comply with regulations, sales are needed imminently.
Batshuayi’s sale is taken as a given, and La Provence say there have been talks with both Tottenham and West Ham, with them putting Spurs ‘on pole’ to complete a deal. The Belgian international hasn’t been pushing for a move and would have happily stayed for another season, but it’s being taken out of his hands.
Should Tottenham now be able to get the player’s will on their side, then Levy can start putting the pressure on Marseille and their equivalent transfer talker Vincent Labrune (pictured below with the owner’s son). Marseille are asking for €40m, and Spurs will want to pay less, what may help get the price down is sending a player or two on loan… because Marseille are actively looking for such signings.
Marseille are likely to lose players in several positions, and Tottenham have an interesting selection they could offer. Any one, or two, of Fazio, Nabil Bentaleb, Clinton N’Jie, DeAndre Yedlin and Michel Vorm, would likely be welcomed by Marseille with open arms.
Maybe Tottenham should have a closer look at Marseille and see if there’s other pickings, as well as Batshuayi.
