Christian Eriksen to Man Utd: What we know so far about Tottenham star's future

Standard Sport6 August 2019

With transfer deadline day looming, Christian Eriksen still remains a Tottenham player despite his declaration in early summer that he wanted a fresh challenge.

After six years in north London, the midfielder is entering the final year of his contract with Spurs and stated that he was keen to "try something new" after establishing himself among the Premier League's best talents.

Eriksen had not ruled out staying at Spurs "if there are no exciting offers" but acknowledged the prospect of playing at Real Madrid would be a "step up" after time with Ajax and Tottenham.

But with Real struggling to convince Manchester United to sell Paul Pogba so far, Los Blancos have yet to move on to secondary targets such as Eriksen.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy had initially set a price for Eriksen at £130m, similar to the cost of Eden Hazard earlier in the window, but there are plenty of moving parts to this saga which could still fall into place before the transfer window slams shut on Thursday.

Here's what we know so far...

Who wants to sign him?

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Standard Sport understands Manchester United are exploring a move for Eriksen amid ongoing doubts over Pogba's future.

United had targeted a potential swap deal with Juventus involving Paulo Dybala for Romelu Lukaku, but talks broke down - and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is aware of the need to bring in a player who can have an immediate impact on his young front line.

Real have held a long-standing interest in Eriksen as well, and while they have made Pogba their No.1 priority, Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez could wait until after the English window shuts in an effort to force a cut-price move.

Much could also depend on whether Spurs land either Giovani Lo Celso or Bruno Fernandes, with the north Londoners seeking to add at least one creative player before Thursday's deadline which would then open the door for Eriksen to leave.

Is the deal close?

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While a deal for the Tottenham playmaker is considered difficult to pull off before Thursday's deadline, Old Trafford’s hierarchy have made their interest known in recent days.

Eriksen has one year left on his contract at Spurs and has also indicated he is ready to leave this summer.

Standard Sport understands Spurs have left a contract offer on the table since last year, which would have increased his salary to over £150,000-a-week - double his current terms.

Levy is understood to prefer a sale to the Spanish giants over domestic rivals United and would be willing to cash in this summer rather than lose the player for nothing in 12 months' time, meaning a lowering of the price tag is a possibility.

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How much will he cost?

Spurs were believed to have valued him at around £130m this summer, but United will hope they can be talked down from that figure at such a late stage of the window.

While Eriksen is not among a select group of elite players in the world game, Spurs will hope to accrue north of £60m for one of their most talented players.

However, that fee will again depend on how desperate they are to sell the Dane before the deadline, and whether Spurs have bought either Lo Celso or Fernandes with a view to recouping funds directly via Eriksen's sale.

Who could replace him?

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As previously stated, Lo Celso and Fernandes have been earmarked as alternatives to Eriksen.

Betis have been holding out for Lo Celsco’s full £88million release clause, with 20 per cent of any fee due to his former club PSG. Spurs are willing to pay closer to £60m.

Sporting reportedly want £64m for Fernandes, 24, who scored 23 goals from midfield for Sporting and Portugal last season and has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford.

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