According to a recent exclusive report by Football.London, Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur are said to be preparing for a winter raid from Serie A club AC Milan, for the services of their Ivorian international full-back Serge Aurier. Jose Mourinho’s backroom team are said to have a decent relationship with the talented full-back, and he has retained the starting spot on the team up to this point.
The report suggests that the Italian club are eager to add more competition in the right-back position, with Andrea Conti and Davide Calabria the current options for that role. It is claimed that the San Siro club will register an initial bid in the region of £15m for the Ivorian’s signature. While they are said to be quite eager, the likelihood of Spurs selling their man for less than the £25m they initially spent on him is extremely low. This is especially true considering that the speedster still has two and a half years left on his current contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
What Is Serge Aurier’s Situation At Tottenham Hotspur?
The former Toulouse and Lens man was acquired by the London club from French giants Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017. He has since found it hard to make a place for himself in the starting lineup, up until midway through the current season.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, the full-back wasn’t treated overly well, and he even went on to admit that he asked to leave the club prior to the start of the campaign. As a repercussion of this, Aurier was left out of the early games of this season, but the situation has since taken a step in the right direction.
With Jose Mourinho now at the helm at Tottenham though, Aurier has had a complete reversal of fortunes. The Portuguese tactician is an extremely demanding manager, and he’s clearly seen something positive in the Ivorian performances since his mid-season takeover.
He’s featured 17 times in the league this season, having been a regular in the side over recent weeks. Despite having not scored a goal, the full-back’s pitched in with three assists and continues to impress with his work-rate and attitude.
Why Spurs Cannot Afford To Sell Aurier In January.
The London side have looked extremely short-staffed since the start of the campaign, and the untimely injuries to key players certainly haven’t helped Mourinho’s cause. With only young Kyle Walker-Peters available as back-up, Serge Aurier currently remains Jose’s only realistic option at right-back, meaning that the Ivorian’s January sale is sure to be the last thing on the gaffer’s mind.
Tottenham themselves have had a reversal in fortune in recent weeks, and a lot of that is down to the change of attitude that Mourinho has managed to ring in all through the side. Aurier is one of the players who’s certainly stepped up to the plate on occasion and worked hard for the team. The fact that Spurs are now desperate to sign a striker could force the manager into an unwanted sale, but they’ll do well to ensure that Aurier is not the player they decide to cash in on.
