Tottenham drop a massive hint that Christian Eriksen is leaving

Tottenham’s massive bid for Real Betis star Giovani Lo Celso makes it clear that Spurs are prepared to lose Christian Eriksen this summer.

Christian Eriksen‘s time at Tottenham may really be coming to a close. The club’s massive bid for Giovani Lo Celso makes it pretty clear that Spurs are in the market for a new No. 10.

According to the BBC, Mauricio Pochettino’s club have already sanctioned a massive bid of £60 million for the 23-year-old Argentine. Real Betis have allegedly rejected Tottenham’s opening offer because they want to receive a fee much closer to Lo Celso’s release clause of £100 million.

Tottenham may be ready to spend lots of money this summer to keep Pochettino happy, but they aren’t going to spend upwards of £60 million on a player they expect will come off the bench. That sort of pricey acquisition will only be used to acquire players who can go immediately into Spurs’ starting XI next season.

While Lo Celso does have experience playing in a traditional midfield three, his best work at Real Betis came when he was deployed as a central attacking midfielder. That, of course, is the role that Eriksen has occupied at Tottenham since his arrival from Ajax. It’s fairly obvious that Spurs see Lo Celso as a player who can fill the Dane’s shoes moving forward.

Eriksen has been strongly linked with a big-money move to Real Madrid for months. Pochettino has been vocal about his desire to keep the classy midfielder, but the fact that the stylish No. 10 still hasn’t inked a new contract at Tottenham makes it very likely his future lies elsewhere. Even if he doesn’t move to the Spanish capital, it’s very unlikely that Spurs will allow him to run down his contract in North London.

Eriksen’s departure would be a tough blow for Tottenham, but Spurs fans can take heart in the club’s apparent willingness to spend big on a replacement. Lo Celso isn’t the finished product, but a 23-year-old who has already experienced success in La Liga is just the sort of player Tottenham should be looking to acquire. Lo Celso may not duplicate Eriksen’s success immediately, but he has the talent to grow into a world-class attacking midfielder in time.

In the end, Tottenham fans should expect a lot of changes this summer. It appears that one of those will be the departure of Eriksen. If he were staying put, Spurs would be spending their money at other positions. The massive bid for Lo Celso is a strong sign that Eriksen’s last match with Spurs will be the Champions League final.