OPINION
With Everton reportedly putting a bid in for Barcelona full-back Lucas Digne, Tottenham need to blow their bid out of the water and hijack the move.
As reported by the Mirror, the Toffees have offered just over £22million for the defender, as they seek a long-term replacement for club stalwart Leighton Baines.
However, Tottenham have considerably bigger resources and pulling power than their Premier League rivals, and should use that to secure the signing of Digne from under their noses.
The French full-back is a top-quality defender who is unlucky, in that he has to compete with Jordi Alba for a spot in the Barcelona first-team. His lack of game time at the Catalan club cost him a place in the France World Cup squad, and they ultimately won the tournament, which means he could be looking to leave Spain this summer.
As reported by the Evening Standard, it is looking likely that full-back Danny Rose will leave Spurs this summer. The London club will have to replace him with someone of a similar quality, which leaves Digne as a great option.
He would be a better option than Ben Davies in Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team, he’s got the beating of the Welshman in every conceivable area, which would make him the team’s undisputed first choice left-back.
With the Toffees bid standing at a reported £22million, what would Spurs have to cough up in order to Barcelona to accept their bid rather than Marco Silva’s side? £25million, £30million perhaps?
Whichever price it might be, that’s nothing in this market and they should move quickly to see off competition from the Merseyside club.
There have been some ridiculous fees being paid for full-backs in recent years, so even £30million would be an absolute steal for someone who’s going to be the club’s first choice for years to come.