Christian Eriksen has not been affected by the ongoing transfer rumours and is handling the situation “naturally”, according to Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino. With the transfer window for the majority of European clubs open until the start of September, the Denmark international continues to be linked with a move away from Tottenham.
The 27-year-old is understood to be on the watchlists of Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid, with Eriksen said to be very keen on going to the latter. The playmaker admitted in July he would be keen to “try something new” and is understood to have his heart set on moving to the Bernabeu.
However, Real have already spent a significant sum of money this summer – in the region of £275million – and could struggle to meet Spurs’ £50million asking price for Eriksen, who has less than 12 months left to run on his contract.
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Manchester United made a late move for the former Ajax man during the transfer window but pulled out of talks, reportedly due to Eriksen making it clear that he would prefer a move to Spain.
Tottenham are desperate not to lose Eriksen and are said to have offered him an extension which would see him become the joint-highest earner at the club, matching Harry Kane’s £200,000-per-week salary.
There has been little movement in the negotiations though and it looks increasingly likely that Eriksen will run down his deal before leaving for free at the end of the season. Pochettino admits it is a far from ideal situation for Tottenham to find themselves in at the start of the season but has praised the way the Spurs start has handled the situation.
The Argentine tactician has previously said that Eriksen had been left “unsettled” by all the transfer speculation but has intimated that he has a better handle on matters off the field. “I was in this position as a player,” said Pochettino. “It is not easy because of rumours and things that happened around you, but Christian is not affected by the situation and the rumours around him.”
Pochettino took the decision to drop Eriksen for Tottenham’s opening game of the season against Aston Villa but claimed it was down to his fitness levels, rather than him being distracted by transfer rumours.
Eriksen was restored to the starting line-up for last week’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City and is expected to start on Sunday when Newcastle are the visitors to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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