Tottenham eye bargain signing of La Liga winner after rival move stalls; Chelsea, Aston Villa also in mix

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly hoping to beat Chelsea and Aston Villa to the impressive capture of Spanish defender Mario Hermoso, whose transfer to Italy is on the verge of falling through.

Hermoso is a 29-year-old centre-half who can also operate as a left-back if required. He came through the Real Madrid academy and had a loan spell at Real Valladolid before joining Espanyol permanently in July 2017. Two years later, Espanyol doubled their money on the left-footed defender by selling him to Atletico Madrid.

Since then, Hermoso has made 174 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side, chipping in with 10 goals and six assists and helping them win the La Liga title ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona in the 2020-21 season.

But Hermoso has now left Atleti on a free transfer after rejecting the opportunity to extend his contract with the Spanish giants.

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The five-time Spain international is now on the lookout for a new club, and due to the fact he will not cost any transfer fee, he has several suitors.

Napoli have previously been viewed as Hermoso’s most likely next club, and the player even travelled to Naples to try and get a deal over the line.

But the two parties still have not finalised a contract and the move is resultantly at serious risk of being hijacked.

According to the Italian media, Tottenham, Chelsea and Villa are the three main clubs trying to convince Hermoso to reject Napoli altogether and instead try himself out in the Premier League.

Tottenham transfers: Spurs ‘lurking’ for Mario Hermoso

Tottenham are ‘lurking’ for Hermoso’s potential capture and have been encouraged by the fact that the defender has told Napoli he will not wait much longer for another offer from them.

Tottenham believe they have a good chance of usurping Napoli and winning the race for Hermoso as they can offer him a better financial package.

Of course, it is not guaranteed that the player will end up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, as Unai Emery is keen to sign him for Villa while Chelsea are also keeping tabs on the situation.

But Spurs appear to be the English club most likely to send him a contract offer. Plus, Spurs will have confidence that Ange Postecoglou can convince Hermoso on becoming part of his squad, as the 58-year-old is a great man-manager and can be very persuasive in these situations.

Given Hermoso’s vast experience in La Liga, and the fact he is a defender who loves to break the lines with forward passes, this could be a bargain signing for Spurs. Although, Postecoglou may need to work on Hermoso’s decision-making, as he was viewed as something of a chaotic defender earlier in his career.

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