Tottenham would expect £42.5million in compensation if Real Madrid try to make Mauricio Pochettino their next manager, according to the Times.
The newspaper claims that Spurs will demand the eight-figure sum for their current boss after he signed a fresh £8.5million-a-year contract with them only last week, which doesn’t include a release clause.
It is understood that chairman Daniel Levy would not be willing to part ways with Pochettino and feels the Argentinian is dedicated to building the team at the North London club.
The report details the 46-year-old has been given reassurances about transfer budgets, but Spanish giants Madrid have held a long-term interest in him.
Zinedine Zidane resigned at the Bernabeu on Thursday and Madrid are now on the search for a new manager, but it remains to be seen if they will contact Spurs for their senior man.
OPINION
If Madrid identify Pochettino as their number one target this summer to become their next manager then Spurs are in big trouble. It would surely be no problem for them to fork up the near £40million-sum to bring him to the Spanish capital and many feel he could be a strong fit there after building an exciting team at Spurs. However, Levy has done the right thing by tying him down to a new long-term contract and they need to ensure they keep him at all costs. Pochettino is arguably the single most important person at the club as it stands and he has improved them massively in the last few years. They have established themselves as regulars in the top four of the Premier League and there is no doubt he is the right man to lead them into the new stadium. He does still have the question mark surrounding his head about never winning silverware, but that will certainly come and you would have to search pretty deep to find a Spurs fan who isn’t a huge supporter of Pochettino.