Sevilla were pretty bad last season, and despite their regular insistance that they're not going to sell Alvaro Negredo, it turns out that they're totally going to sell Alvaro Negredo. The Spanish international striker is too good to play for a middling La Liga team and, at 27, this summer might represent his last chance to pickup a really high-paying long-term contract.
El Mundo had quotes from Jose Maria del Nido, the president of Sevilla.
"El jugador no ha puesto el pie en el techo y ha dicho 'me quiero ir', pero sí ha dicho que quiere crecer y que quiere jugar la Liga de Campeones. Uno de esos equipos es el Atlético de Madrid y el otro es de fuera de nuestras fronteras. El Sevilla elegirá el que ofrezca más garantías."
For those who don't speak Spanish, a rough translation:
"He has put his foot down and said 'I want out'. He wants to grow and he wants to play Champions League. One team team that has made an offer is Atletico Madrid and we have another offer from a team outside of Spain. Sevilla will choose to sell to the one that offers more guarantees in the transfer."
Of course, Tottenham Hotspur don't play in the Champions League, but they certainly represent a big step up from Sevilla. Since Roberto Soldado's future isn't sorted out (and Valencia aren't in the Champions League) while Fernando Torres and David Villa look set to ride a lot of pine next season, playing for Spurs would probably give Negredo an excellent shot as establishing himself as a potential first choice player for Spain.
We don't have any indication that Spurs are that foreign club, but maybe they should be. Negredo is a great fit and Spurs have shown interest in the past, but Sevilla has been unwilling to sell. Now that Negredo wants out of Seville and he's on the market, it wouldn't be surprising to see Tottenham pursue him.
He's available, he's good enough, he would almost represent decent value for money and he has plenty of reason to want to come here. It makes too much sense to ever happen.
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