Tottenham are reportedly lining up a move for Lille playmaker, Sofaine Boufal, who has been dubbed the ‘new Eden Hazard’.
Boufal has scored 3 times in 8 appearances for the Ligue 1 side this season and has caught the eye with his pace and trickery which has earned him comparisons with the Chelsea winger.
Lille captain Rio Mavuba has supported this nickname, saying,
“He reminds me of Eden when he was playing here. It is striking, he likes the ball, even if he plays too much sometimes. But he is young, you have to let him grow.”
Tottenham were close to signing Hazard in 2012 but lost out to Chelsea in the race to sign the winger after failing to qualify for the Champions League, and will be hoping to avoid this scenario with Boufal, whom they reportedly considered signing in the summer.
The North London club instead signed Clinton N’jie from Lyon, although, with Spurs well-placed for a top four finish, Daniel Levy will be willing to add to the squad in January, in order to consolidate their impressive start to the season.
Unfortunately for the Spurs chairman, he may have to pay more for the Moroccan international than he had initially hoped with the midfielder’s impressive performances this season likely to have increased Lille’s asking price.
However, with Andros Townsend looking to be moving away from White Hart Lane in the new year, Levy should be able to cover the costs for Boufal in order to give Mauricio Pochettino, more strength in depth in the second half of the season.
