Delaney: Real Madrid now front runners to sign Christian Eriksen

If it wasn’t clear already that as Tottenham Hotspur fans we should prepare ourselves for a summer of incredibly annoying transfer speculation regarding Christian Eriksen, well it should be now. The latest data point comes from Miguel Delaney, writing in the Independent, who says that Real Madrid are ready to make a big bid for Eriksen should he decide not to extend his contract at Spurs.

Barcelona are apparently no longer in the picture, perhaps due to their agreement to sign Adrien Rabiot on a free transfer from PSG this summer. That opens a window for Madrid to make an offer for him as they look to retool their squad in the summer window.

According to Delaney, Eriksen’s reluctance to re-sign with Spurs has less to do with money — Spurs’ contract reportedly includes wages of between £200k-250k — and more because he is ready to “try a new football culture” and wants to play for one of the Spanish giants while still at the peak of his career. It appears that contact between the clubs has been made via intermediaries, i.e. the clubs aren’t talking directly but are feeling things out through hypothethicals, something that happens all the time with regards to football transfers

But if you want a sliver of hope, read what Delaney writes midway through the article:

Bayern Munich has not been completely ruled out, but sources close to the player feel that if Madrid or Barcelona cannot happen, Eriksen would stay at Spurs.

Isco is also floated as a possible makeweight in any potential deal.

This has sort of been my feelings — and my fear — about Eriksen’s situation for a while now. If the concern truly is that Eriksen is ready to move on for the benefit of his career, then there may not be anything Spurs can really do about it, apart from work to make sure that they get the best possible transfer fee from him before he goes. Delaney says that Madrid may try and get a deal for Eriksen for under £100m. If that is the case, however, I can’t think of a person I’d trust more to get the best possible deal for Spurs than Daniel Levy, especially when negotiating with Madrid.

This is far from established truth, and a lot can happen between now and the summer transfer window. However, I find this story to be a very plausible possible explanation of what might be going on behind the scenes regarding Eriksen. In a strange way it’s also a bit hopeful — if Eriksen only wants to leave for one of the super big clubs, it limits his options, and might make it slightly more possible that he eventually decides to stay.