Report Says Tottenham Bid €25 Million For Juan Mata, But Spurs Move Still Unlikely

It's the Juan Mata story that won't go away, but now it looks like maybe there's a little bit more legitimacy in it. According to Pablo García-Cuervo, a presenter for Marca, Tottenham have put in a €25 million bid for Mata. Garcia-Cuervo is decently reliable so while not a sure-fire report, there is reason to believe that this report is true and Spurs really are going after the dynamic Spaniard.

The highest other reported bid was by Arsenal, who supposedly bid €20 million for the player so it appears as if Spurs have beat out the pack in bidding at least. Of course, we know that there's a lot more to this than bidding the most money. With a buyout clause under €20 million, Valencia would be obligated to accept both the Tottenham and Arsenal bid so it appears as if this decision will be left to Mata, which isn't good for Tottenham.

Valencia and Arsenal will both be in the Champions League this year and both have a better chance than Tottenham at finishing top four again this year so why would Mata choose to step out of the world's elite club competition? Whether this is a particularly good move for Spurs is also in question as they are still without the striker they desperately need and capturing Mata would only take out of the striker fund while adding another player (another very, very good player) on the wing, which is not a position of need.