Tottenham’s Lamela in Increasing Bizarre Inter Link

Though world football is consumed with two major tournaments, the absurdity of the transfer season is here again all the same — and Tottenham’s stars are not immune.

The latest rumor swirling around Tottenham comes to us from Italian sporting magazine Corriere dello Sport by way of Football Italia. According to their sources, Tottenham are currently pondering an offer from Serie A giants Inter for Érik Lamela.

We’ve touched on this rumor before, saying then that rumors such as this were inevitable after Inter were acquired by Suning Group. Inter’s new Chinese owners would naturally be anxious to make their mark in Italy early, and the press have no shortage of ideas about who and what needs doing. Bringing up Lamela — who was linked with Inter last summer as well — only seems natural.

Given the amount Tottenham paid for the Argentine — possibly as much as £30 million including bonuses — and the fact that he finally became a true asset to the club this past season, it seemed widely unlikely that Inter would succeed at such a gambit even if they were of a mind to try it.

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These latest rumors from Corriere dello Sport include a possible new wrinkle however. Not only would Inter be willing to pay £20 million for Lamela, they would throw in Tottenham’s choice of either midfielder Marcelo Brozović or centre-back Jeison Murllo.

If true — and that is an admittedly huge “if” — this seems like a much more plausible situation. That’s no small amount of money, and combined with the possibility of acquiring either of those named players this rumor might suddenly appear plausible.

However much of an impact Lamela had at Tottenham this past season, there’s no question that the club has depth in his position. Heung-min Son and Clinto Njie are both capable of operating on the right wing, and if perhaps they’re not the best option then £20 million could help finance finding a player who is.

Moreover, Tottenham are known to be interested in Brozović. We here at HotSpurHQ profiled him and his possible role at Tottenham not too long ago. He embodies a lot of the qualities Mauricio Pochettino looks for in a midfielder, and would in theory bolster the Argentine manager’s options in central midfield.

The Murillo link is perhaps even more intriguing. Inter only signed the Colombian international last summer, but he’s helped form the heart of one of the better defenses in Serie A ever since. The 24-year-old would come into a Tottenham side with Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Kevin Wimmer all positioned ahead of him on the depth chart, but there’s no denying that Tottenham won’t find many other better young centre-backs available out there this summer.

While these added details certainly leave us with something to be intrigued about, it’s still far too absurd to actually be true. Inter’s offensive woes last season are well documented, but are they and their new owners so desperate as to give up such a sizable amount of money and one of their most promising players just to get Lamela’s signature?

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Occam’s razor tells us that the simplest explanation tends to be the correct one. Lamela had a great season with Tottenham, and should only continue to improve. Never before in his three years with the club has Tottenham ever had any more reason to be less inclined to part ways with him than right now. Even if Brozović and Murillo are on the table, this rumor should sputter out sooner rather than later.