Tottenham have become engaged in a tit-for-tat battle with European giants Barcelona involving young attacking starlet Reo Griffiths, according to the Daily Star.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Catalan heavyweights are looking to prise the 17-year-old away on a free transfer when he turns 18 on June 27th, in retaliation to Spurs’ attempted swoop for Barca’s young midfielder Rique Puig.
It is said that the La Liga side have been watching Griffiths for some time after catching their eye with his 34 goals for Tottenham’s youth sides, a record which has seen him dubbed as the next Harry Kane, and that they would have to pay a nominal fee for his capture.
Puig meanwhile is said by Spanish publication Sport to be high on Mauricio Pochettino’s shortlist of signings this summer, and that talks to take him to north London are well underway.
Good move for Tottenham?
Absolutely not.
Griffiths’ record below the senior side has been nothing short of exceptional and losing him, even to a rival outside of their league, would be a hammer blow for the future.
Spurs will be loathed to lose him, especially if they cannot demand a hefty compensation from Barcelona, and there will now have to be crunch talks to try and stop him from departing the club.
On the other hand, Barcelona will not want to let Puig go without a fight and it appears as though there could be some sort of stalemate in place between the two clubs.
This is Futbol rating: 2/10
Likely to happen?
Only those behind the scenes in north London and the Nou Camp know whether they really are chasing after each other’s young starlets, and it would be quite a shock if the pair ended up swapping clubs.
Griffiths will be considering his options but considering the way Harry Kane broke into the first team at Spurs, it gives him a clear path to the senior side, something which is not exactly a given at Barcelona.
Turning 18 in a couple of weeks, the youngster may have less than a month to decide his own future.
This is Futbol rating: 2/10