Cash-strapped Spurs will have to sell before they can buy this summer
Cash-strapped Tottenham will have to sell before they can buy this summer as they look to strengthen their defence – with futures of Serge Aurier, Hugo Lloris, Erik Lamela and Juan Foyth all in doubt
- Tottenham announced losses of £63.9million in November due to Covid impact
- Some intermediaries have been told that Spurs must sell to buy this summer
- A goalkeeper, a right back and a centre back are the main priorities for the club
- Future of Harry Winks and Dele Alli may depend on whether Jose Mourinho stays
Tottenham are set to prioritise strengthening their defence this summer, but will have to sell players first amid significant financial constraints.
Spurs announced losses of £63.9million in November and have been hit harder by the pandemic than most, so will aim to sell a host of players in the hope of raising funds and freeing up wages.
Sportsmail understands some intermediaries have already been told that the club must sell before they buy, though there is an element of posturing in that stance ahead of what will be a difficult window to navigate for most clubs.
Jose Mourinho will have to sell to buy this summer if he is still in charge at Tottenham
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is among players who could be moved on to raise funds for signings
Serge Aurier (left) and Juan Foyth (right) could be among those to go at the end of the season
Tottenham will be on the lookout for a new goalkeeper, right back and central defender when the window re-opens.
But the club will look to offload at least six players this summer to carry out their plans.
Danny Rose looks certain to finally end his 14-year spell in north London when his contract expires at the end of the season, while the futures of Serge Aurier, Hugo Lloris, Erik Lamela and Juan Foyth are also in doubt.
Gareth Bale, who is costing Spurs about £250,000-a-week in wages, has already said he will go back to Real Madrid when his loan expires.
Fellow loanee Carlos Vinicius is set to return to Benfica, with Tottenham unwilling to pay the £36m option they have to buy the striker permanently.
Instead, the club have started looking at potential replacements for Vinicius — with Stuttgart’s Sasa Kalajdzic, a 23-year-old Austria international, among the players the club are considering as a back-up for Harry Kane.
Dele Alli would command a significant fee and much will depend on Mourinho’s future
Former mainstays Dele Alli and Harry Winks have fallen out of favour under Jose Mourinho and would command significant transfer fees, but their futures could be determined by whether the Portuguese is still in charge next season.
Burnley keeper Nick Pope is understood to be Spurs’ first choice to replace Lloris if the Frenchman is reunited with former boss Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain.
Wolfsburg No 1 Koen Casteels has been watched extensively in recent months and would represent a more economical option if Pope’s valuation, which could rise above £30m, proves prohibitive.
Burnley’s Nick Pope is understood to be Tottenham’s first choice to replace Lloris if he leaves
The constraints on spending this summer will be of particular interest to Mourinho, who would certainly back the club’s stance of prioritising defensive talent following a disappointing campaign at home and on the Continent.
Mourinho is fighting to keep his job, the pressure on his position intensifying following Sunday’s loss to Manchester United that left Spurs six points off the top four.
But even if a new head coach is appointed ahead of next season, his ability to sign fresh talent will be compromised.
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