Valencia’s Geoffrey Kondogbia a more likely Tottenham target

Geoffrey Kondogbia represents a great opportunity for Tottenham to capitalize on a slashed transfer fee if Valencia misses out on Champions League qualification. 

Everyone knows about Daniel Levy’s reluctance to pay full market price for a transfer target. When Levy’s involved in negotiations, haggling is as commonplace as it is on the streets of Bangkok. But in Levy’s case, he rarely walks away with the goods in hand. While unverified, I’m not sure he’s ever paid full price for a new asset.

His eyes will light up when thinking about the bargain Kondogbia potentially represents. Valencia were in seventh place when the season ground to a halt, leaving them outside of the Champions League picture looking in. If Valencia qualify for the Champions League you can forget about any chance of Kondogbia joining Spurs.

But if Valencia fails to qualify for the prestigious tournament, the door will swing wide open. Kondogbia has a £70 million release cause and Spurs are thought to be willing to pay £35 million for his services, The Evening Standard reports.  Undercutting the original release cause fee by half is a trademark technique of Levy’s. It’s a failing one mind you, as Levy rarely secures high value targets.

But there is a glimmer of hope here, as Valencia, to ensure they make a profit on Kondogbia, could accept a £26 million offer for their rough-and-tumble central midfielder. Valencia purchased Kondogbia for £22 million in 2018 from Inter Milan and cannot take a loss on the highly touted midfielder, whose contract expires in 2022.

However, Spurs will, as always, face stiff competition for the French midfielder, who might prefer to play for a side guaranteed to participate in next season’s Champions League.

Though there is a slight chance that Levy’s usually insulting bartering skills could actually work in this scenario. Just don’t hold your breath in the meantime.