Once approached by Aston Villa, Pape Matar Sarr is heading to Tottenham.
The young defensive midfielder, who became something of a revelation at FC Metz last season at the tender age of 18 in Ligue 1, was being scouted by a whole bunch of Premier League squads, and it appears that Fabio Paratici pulled the trigger before anyone else.
That comes from French journalist Joris Crolbois, who explains the player ‘will leave’ because of an ‘almost completed transfer towards Tottenham’.
The player’s entourage are said to have ‘just returned to Metz to complete the transfer’, with the Ligue 1 side having to undergo an ‘urgent sale’ as it was ‘planned in front of the DNCG’, the organisation that ensures French clubs are run properly and remain financially capable.
🚨 Pape Matar Sarr va partir. Transfert quasi bouclé vers Tottenham. L’entourage de Sarr vient de revenir à Metz pour boucler le deal. Vente urgente car planifiée devant la DNCG, comme Diallo l’an dernier. Le prix a donc chuté à…10M + 5M de bonus 🚨
— Joris Crolbois (@JorisCrolbois) August 20, 2021
That’s why the price ‘therefore plummeted’, with it believed Sarr will head to Tottenham for €10m + €5m in bonuses.
A nice little deal for Paratici, who appeared to be looking for a midfielder this summer.
Whether that impacts a potential arrival of Nahitan Nández remains to be seen, however.