Serge Aurier has had a Tottenham medical and is on the verge of joining the club, that’s what L’Equipe are reporting… right?
Well, a little yes and a lot no.
The problem with the early coverage of L’Equipe’s claims, as is almost always the case, is it’s hyped up to garner as many clicks and RTs as possible, and therefore all the negative stuff is left out.
L’Equipe reiterate Tottenham have come to an agreement of around €25m with PSG for Aurier. This time it’s around and not over.
The French newspaper claim Aurier has had an early Tottenham medical in France, in anticipation of a possible move.
Daniel Levy, seemingly unrecognised by any football fans on the way there or back, has travelled to Paris this week to hold final talks for Aurier with Antero Henrique, PSG’s sporting director.
It’s then stated: ‘The boss of Tottenham even sent a medical staff to carry out an early medical visit. These tests would have taken place yesterday in Paris.’
One can believe that if they choose, but it’s simply wrong that the whole theme of L’Equipe’s claims is ignored… they don’t sound confident the Tottenham transfer is happening.
Chelsea, ignored for a few days, are mentioned again, with Antonio Conte’s club said to be waiting for the legal situation to be resolved before doing anything.
Manchester United, who were repeatedly said to have agreed terms with Aurier, aren’t mentioned.
Aurier’s legal situation, and his failure to so far clear an appeal against a 2 month prison sentence for violence against police, is of course prominent throughout L’Equipe’s article.
It’s this which once again is the crux: ‘Despite the work of several law firms, still confident about a favourable outcome, Aurier still didn’t have this document (confirmation an appeal has been successful) yesterday. Without it, the Ivorian will not be able to commit to Tottenham, a club which since Monday has had an agreement with Paris, on a transfer of €25m (with bonus).’
Because of the difficulty entering England, ‘other avenues’ are being explored, namely Italy.
Juventus have agreed personal terms with Aurier (who hasn’t?!) and terms with PSG, but want to loan the fullback out first, due to not having an spare non-EU space. That could change.
Right now, rather than being nailed on to Tottenham, Aurier’s future is as uncertain as usual. That’s what L’Equipe make clear, but, unfortunately, most of those covering the French newspaper’s claims choose to leave that bit out.
