Transfer Talk - López Not Available?

As reported before Marseille are in financial trouble and need to sell players to make ends meet before the end of June.

Local reports suggest they have already released highly paid coach Andre Villas-Boas.

The following extract from a book called Managing Football by Simon Chadwick helps explain why, French clubs have to break even annually basically.

The above is why French clubs are always selling players, they have to to make ends meet.

With the pandemic making things worse, the budgeted income from fans not arriving, Marseille have been looking to sell their main assets and replace them with cheaper options.

Clubs will look to snap up bargains from cash strapped clubs, we won't be the only ones.

Tottenham have looked at Maxime López before. 

He is a French Under-21 international who plays as an attacking midfielder. 

As you can see, his contract runs out in 2021 so his value is at its lowest, ripe for buying as with a new contract he is immediately worth full market value again.

The next graphic shows his main playing position, central but with defensive and attacking capabilities.

His transfer value varies depending upon which reporter has dreamt up which figure,which reporter has bothered to change currency from euros to pounds and so on.

With people throwing about figures, let's use that £10.8m (€12.02m - AUS$19.99m - US$13.23m) figure which is £2 more than I'm seeing elsewhere.

The exact figure doesn't matter does it, negotiation will have it is somewhere in that ball park and remember, that will probably include performance related add-ons.

The initial fee and thus guaranteed outlay would be less.

The general perception is that we can't make big money transfers and have to be savvy in the market looking for bargains and Jose Mourinho is reported as wanting to add the Frenchman to his midfield.

Sevilla, Aston Villa, West Ham United have been linked but I am hearing that he has signed an extension with Marseille.

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