Tottenham have reportedly been told to match Marco Asensio’s €700 million release clause if they want to sign him from Real Madrid in the summer.
According to a report from Spanish publication AS, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Real Madrid sensation Marco Asensio in the summer transfer window and have already held talks with the La Liga giants. However, they have been told that the only way they can sign the attacker is by matching his buyout clause, which stands at a whopping €700 million.
Asensio is regarded as one of the most talented young attackers across Europe. The 23-year-old came through the youth ranks at Mallorca before joining Real Madrid in 2015. After a season-long loan spell with Espanyol, he became a regular in the first-team with Los Blancos, winning a La Liga title and back-to-back Champions League trophies.
The 2018-19 campaign was a letdown for Asensio, much like for Real Madrid. The 23-year-old produced an underwhelming return of just a solitary goal and six assists from 30 La Liga appearances. He had to contend with being in and out of the starting XI at various points under all the three managers over the course of the season.
Despite a disappointing season, Asensio’s stock hasn’t fallen as he continues to be in high demand among clubs across Europe. Serie A champions Juventus are believed to be interested in signing the precociously talented forward, while there have been murmurs of interest from Champions League finalists Liverpool as well.
Now Liverpool’s opponents in the Champions League final, Tottenham Hotspur, have also joined the hunt for the Real Madrid star. Spurs have had another memorable campaign, making it to the showpiece event of Europe’s premier competition, despite having not signed a player in the last two transfer windows.
With the move to the new stadium now complete, Tottenham are very much likely to dip their toes into the transfer market this summer, as they look to bolster their ranks ahead of the next season. The wide areas are something that the Mauricio Pochettino has been hoping to strengthen for quite some time now and Asensio, given his age and potential, would be the perfect addition.
However, Real Madrid have no intention of losing their prized asset. Zinedine Zidane sees Asensio as a key part of the team he is planning to build moving forward and the club hierarchy also echo the Frenchman’s feelings. As a result, they have informed Tottenham that the only way they can sign the 23-year-old would be by triggering his €700 million clause, which is all but impossible.
As things stand, Asensio will be a Real Madrid player next season. As far as Tottenham are concerned, they will have to look elsewhere to boost up their attacking contingent before the 2019-20 campaign kicks off. They might have better luck in their pursuit of Dani Ceballos though, who is considered as dispensable at Real Madrid.
