Confirmed: Third bid goes in for Tottenham fan favourite
It appears to be nice and busy in N17, with Tottenham linked with a number of transfer targets coming in, and a few being linked with a move out. One player that Spurs are probably not in a hurry to sell off is Luka Vušković.
Fan reaction to this mini-saga is typically mixed. Some see it as poor attitude from a young player with no Spurs appearances yet, and they feel shortchanged and surprised that he doesn’t want to wear the Lilywhite. Others understand his desire for game time and view a big sale as good business, especially if he’s been promised game time.
The Standard says that Brighton have submitted a third bid, reportedly a deal worth add-ons worth around £45 million.
Previous offers are thought to have been around the £30 million mark and have already been rejected. Spurs are said to value Vušković around the £50 million to £60 million mark, especially in light of his long contract until 2030 and the glowing reports he’s received whilst on loan.
What I find curious here is that the paper reports that Vušković wants regular first-team football, and that he’s indicated that he’s ready to formally hand in a transfer request to force Spurs’ hand. Why not just hand in a request? I wouldn’t imagine it to be a particularly complicated process.
Perhaps this is simply to imply the player’s sense of urgency. Sam Tabuteau wants to impart that suggestion that Luka is super keen. A transfer request would escalate things, but surely only if Brighton were to raise their readies.
Should he leave, the club would look to maximise the fee received. Any potential buy-back clause would be subject to the player’s agreement, while a future sell-on clause could be structured in a way that may reduce Tottenham’s earnings in any subsequent deal.
The preferred outcome would be for him to remain out on loan for another season to continue gaining experience, something he categorically does not want to do, given all indicators.
I take a view that if Tottenham can’t offer Luka Vušković playing time, it weakens the club’s position; after all, we abolished slavery in this country in 1883.
Brighton are experts in buying a young player and selling on for a massive profit, selling in a huge part of their income and business strategy. So if they value Vuskovic at £45M it’s clear they think he’ll be worth £100M within a couple of years, and judging by their track record, they’re probably right. So don’t sell, do what a smart club would do, give the boy a new contract with a £100M release clause and loan him to Brighton for one season with a recall clause.
We need to keep this player. If we need money, sell VDV instead.