Footmercato understands that Tottenham Hotspur have taken a newfound interest in Southampton’s Mario Lemina. The 24-year-old has caught the eyes of plenty during his debut season in the Premier League.
A previous quote from the player indicated a slight chance of him quitting the club if offers started to chime in from the any of the top-six clubs. Lemina said, “We do not talk about us, we talk about the club and we just have to save the club. After, everyone can make the decision to stay or leave. It’s not my problem. My only problem is to win the last game and save the team (interview conducted on May 1). We must save the club because we deserve to stay in the Premier League.”
Well, the job has been done as the Saints managed to beat Swansea City 0-1 in the 37th game week to pull 3 points away in the 17th spot. Lemina was instrumental in their battle for survival despite facing stiff competition from Oriol Romeu and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.
He appeared in 29 games for the side this campaign and contributed one goal and one assist. He also solidified the midfield with his defensive skills, winning back possession and linking up with his teammates.
Lemina has clearly proven his worth to the Premier League big guns and might just be pondering over a switch since his former club is the 6-time reigning league champions. Winning trophies is high on his career goals and Tottenham are much closer to fulfilling those ambitions than Southampton.
The Spurs will have to shell out a significant amount, including selling one of their existing players. It could be either Victor Wanyama or Moussa Dembele. Both had their share of problems this season but still manage to sit on the good side of their manager, Mauricio Pochettino.
Wanyama’s injury crisis led him to lose his starting spot to Eric Dier who has been prolific over the years. Dembele has also faced fitness concerns and was even linked with a move away to China earlier in the campaign.
The Belgian international is thought to be incapable of carrying out the length of an entire season at 30 years of age. Beijing Guoan are still interested in purchasing him for a boatload of cash and this, in turn, could open up a space for Lemina.
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Pochettino is well aware of the squad depth he requires to challenge for major honours and getting Lemina will go a long way in pursuing that target next season.
