Report: Erik Lamela working towards summer transfer to Italy

Erik Lamela is the last remaining member of the so-called Bale Seven at Tottenham Hotspur, purchased with the money made from the then-world record transfer of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid in 2013. So in some ways it’s fitting that Bale’s stunning return to Spurs could also be Lamela’s last season in a lilywhite shirt.

Corriere dello Sport is reporting today that Lamela is actively working on a return to Italy this summer when the transfer window opens up in June. Lamela’s current Tottenham contract expires in 2022, which makes this pretty much Spurs’ last opportunity to cash in on him, as the club is unlikely to offer him a new contract. The report states that Lamela’s agents have made extensive contact with Napoli with an eye to a summer deal, but also suggests that although Napoli looks like the most likely, Lamela would love a return to Roma if given a choice. Udinese is also mooted as a possibility.

I am an unabashed Erik Lamela stan and I make no apologies for it. I know he never fulfilled the immense promise he had when he signed from Napoli seven years ago and it feels as though he’s spent more time on the trainer’s table than off it. I don’t care. He’s been one of my all time favorite Spurs players since I’ve been a fan, joining my personal Tottenham Mount Rushmore along with Mousa Dembele, Dimitar Berbatov, and Son Heung-Min.

But it makes total sense that he’d be off this summer. The squad needs a clear-out in a big way, Lamela’s still worth a few quid, and realistically a return to Italy is probably the best thing he can do for his career at this stage.

Corriere dello Sport isn’t what I’d call reliable with regards to transfer rumors, but they are a decent source for plausible rumors regarding Italian clubs. They sure makes it sound like Lamela’s entourage is doing some work ahead of the window, and that his days shithousing his way around the Tottenham home pitch throwing elbows and nicking water bottles are numbered.

I expect this, or something like it, to happen, and I also expect to be trapped in a glass case of emotion for a solid week when it does.