Houssem Aouar is one of the players identified as a target for Tottenham Hotspur, with the Lilywhites open to sanction a swap deal involving Tanguy Ndombele.
According to Transfer Market Web, Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for Houssem Aouar. Their managing director Fabio Paratici believes that the Olympique Lyon midfielder has what it takes to further improve his team and help them become a potential title contender within the next five years.
In order to attain his services, Spurs are even open to sanctioning a potential deal involving Tanguy Ndombele. The Frenchman is not included in the plans of newly-appointed manager Nuno Espirito Santo and is likely to be frozen out of the first team during the first half of the campaign.
Aouar was a former teammate of Ndombele during their time together at Olympique Lyon. They even rose to prominence in the same 2018/19 campaign, with the latter earning a big-money move to Tottenham. But since then, it has been a difficult road for the midfielder, who struggled to impress under Jose Mourinho and is not rated at all by Nuno, due to his inconsistency.
Spurs were keen on offloading Ndombele in the summer, but they failed to materialise a sale even though both Barcelona and Real Madrid were interested in his services.
As for Aouar, he did not have a great 2020/21 season for Lyon, with his progress being marred by injuries and lack of form. But the midfielder is still highly valued by the clubs due to his pedigree at the highest level of football, coupled with the potential he offers.
Perhaps more importantly, the 21-year-old will represent a low-risk investment as his current contract at Lyon expires in 2023. The club is likely to offload him sooner rather than later as well, given that they are involved in a financial crisis. The player was, in fact, reportedly offered to Arsenal and Tottenham in the summer.
However, it appears unlikely that Paratici will be able to meet an agreement with all parties regarding a direct swap deal. Ndombele has lofty wage demands and is a very ambitious player, who will be keen on eyeing a move to an even bigger club despite struggling during his time at Tottenham.
Aouar, though, could be a smart investment as his technical prowess tunes in well with the robust natured Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, ultimately adding another dimension to the Spurs midfield. Now it remains to be seen where Paratici is open to meeting Lyon’s demands for a cash-only deal, perhaps even in the upcoming January transfer window.
