OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is a tough negotiator. That is a well-known fact.
Levy has negotiated some brilliant deals for Tottenham over the years, but his unflinching negotiating tactics have also cost the club on several occasions in recent memory.
That determination and resilience has been so important for the club despite those hiccups, with Levy overseeing their rise to perennial top-four contenders, but this summer is set to be his toughest test yet.
Spurs’ progress under Mauricio Pochettino in the last few seasons has seen them come under the microscope more and more, with several of their best players now highly-coveted across Europe.
Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen are the two stars in question here, with both playing such an important role in their rise to the top of English football.
On top of that, Pochettino’s work as manager has made the Argentine one of the most sought-after coaches in the world, and keeping hold of all three will be a huge test for Levy this summer.
Real Madrid are one of the teams that look set to make moves for Kane, Eriksen and Pochettino this summer, with all three men linked with Los Blancos in recent months.
However, they know they will have to go through Levy, and the latest report from Spain suggests they could be in for an even tougher time than usual.
Spanish newspaper AS quote a source, described as an international agent who knows Levy well, as saying the Spurs chairman “flew into a rage” when he heard of Real’s interest in Eriksen.
He further claims: “Actually, Levy gets mad when they touch any of his players.”
Who exactly this source is is unclear, but one thing that is clear is that Levy is not in a cordial mood when it comes to Real and their interest in his assets.
The La Liga giants have a history of stealing Spurs’ best players, with both Luka Modric and Gareth Bale ending up at the Bernabeu, and it seems Levy is not ready to see yet more stars make that switch.
Levy’s reputation already precedes him across Europe, but that reputation may grow even further this summer if this latest report is anything to go on.