Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly stepping up their pursuit of Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar. According to Sky Sports, Spurs have held informal talks with Aouar’s representatives with a view to making an offer in the coming days.
Aouar has two years left on his current contract with Lyon but is keen on moving to a bigger club to further his development. An offer of around 25 million euros would reportedly be enough to prise him away from the French club.
The Frenchman has been heavily linked with Arsenal the past couple of summers, but a move has not materialized and the Gunners’ arch-rivals are now in pole position to land his signature.
Aouar is one of the most influential attacking midfielders in Ligue 1. He has scored 32 goals and provided an equal number of assists in 173 appearances for Lyon.
His arrival will certainly strengthen Spurs, who lack quality in midfield. Here, we take a look at how the London club could line up with the 23-year-old midfielder this season.
Strongest possible Tottenham Hotspur lineup with Houssem Aouar
Goalkeeper
Despite being linked with a move away from Spurs the last couple of seasons, Hugo Lloris has stayed put and is Tottenham’s first-choice keeper. Spurs signed Pierluigi Gollini on loan from Atalanta, but he is unlikely to displace Lloris between the sticks.
Defence
Sergio Reguilon has impressed ever since arriving from Real Madrid last season and he is a guaranteed starter at left-back. Academy graduate Japhet Tanganga has leapfrogged Matt Doherty in the pecking order and appears to be Spurs’ first-choice right-back. The 22-year-old impressed against Manchester City in their Premier League opener and Nuno Espirito Santo will hope for similar displays throughout the season.
New signing Cristian Romero is yet to start for Spurs in the league, but he should be a regular fixture once he is fully match fit. The other centre-back option is a toss-up between Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez. Both players are extremely inconsistent, but Dier should get the nod due to his superior ball-playing abilities.
Midfield
Nuno has a wealth of options at his disposal. The Portuguese will likely utilise a three-man midfield consisting of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Houssem Aouar and Dele Alli.
How Tottenham Hotspur Could Line Up With Aouar
Hojbjerg will sit deep, allowing Alli and Aouar to advance up the pitch and create attacks. Moussa Sissoko, Giovani Lo Celso, Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele and Oliver Skipp are other options in central midfield for Spurs. But Sissoko, Ndombele and Winks could all be shipped out by the end of the transfer window.
Attack
Son Heung-min is one of the first names on the teamsheet for Spurs. He will occupy his usual role on the left flank. Son scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists in the league last season and will hope to put up similar numbers in the current campaign as well.
Lucas Moura will feature from the right. The Brazilian has cemented his spot in the Spurs side with impressive displays over the last couple of seasons and has a great understanding with Son and Harry Kane.
Kane will lead the line for Spurs after confirming he will stay at the club for at least another summer. The England captain was linked with a move to Manchester City, but after that broke down, Kane announced he is “100% focused on helping the team achieve success”.
Kane has developed into one of the most prolific strikers on the planet and will be instrumental in Spurs’ push for a top-four spot.