Tottenham Hotspur have a few areas they need to address in the January transfer window, and perhaps their midfield is one such area.
Yes, a quality right wing-back and a new attacker are the top priorities this month, but as recent performances from the likes of Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp have shown a new midfielder wouldn’t go amiss.
One player Tottenham have been linked with in recent weeks is Sao Paulo’s Pablo Maia.
The Brazilian midfielder is on the radar of Spurs, West Ham and Fulham, and while all three London clubs can offer different things to Maia, Tottenham may have the edge in this race for one reason – Lucas Moura.
Sao Paulo have reportedly shown an interest in bringing the winger back to the club where his career started, so perhaps Spurs would be wise to put the idea of a swap deal on the table.Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Sao Paulo would be getting a player who is top-quality for that level and a player who loves the club, while Tottenham would be getting a young star who was recently ranked by CIES as the single-most promising defensive midfield player in the world.
Let’s face it, someone like Maia isn’t going to stay at Sao Paulo forever, and his asking price is reportedly just £9m.
Spurs are probably going to lose Lucas on a free in the summer anyway when his contract is up, so why not get a bit of value out of him by offering him up to Sao Paulo this month.
Of course, swap deals are rare in football and a lot needs to fall into place for this to happen, but if ever such a deal made sense this is it.
Lucas may be the perfect bait for Spurs to lure Sao Paulo into letting Maia come to north London.
