Eriksen: Real Madrid well placed even if Spurs seal European title
Tottenham's financial state, allied with Christian Eriksen's contract situation, has left Real Madrid in a great position to sign the midfielder.
Tottenham Hotspur's qualification for the Champions League semi-finals has not only left the Premier League side dreaming of European glory, but has also handed a financial boost to a club that has had to tighten its belt. Indeed, if Spurs go on to lift the trophy, they'll net around 100m euros in UEFA prize money.
However, they still won't be in much of a position to stop the summer sale of Christian Eriksen. The Dane is a major target for Real Madrid and, as AS has reported, is stalling on an extension to his Spurs contract, which expires in 2020. As is also the case with Eden Hazard's mooted Madrid switch from Chelsea, the player's wishes are likely to be the determining factor in the issue.
Levy in weaker negotiating position than with Modric, Bale
Although Daniel Levy is as tough a negotiator as there is - Luka Modric and Gareth Bale's moves to the Bernabéu bore witness to that - Eriksen looks to have the Spurs chairman over a barrel in this instance: either the cash-strapped North Londoners sell the 27-year-old this summer, or they'll be in serious danger of losing him on a free in 12 months' time.
Tottenham's financial situation does not leave them with much wiggle room. For a while now, Levy has been forecasting a prolonged period of parsimony until the club begin to see the benefits of their expensive new stadium's potential to generate revenue. At present, after all, they're a club busy repaying the 735m-euro loan they had to take out in order to complete construction of a ground whose costs, say reports in the UK media, ended up rocketing to over 1.1bn euros.
That has taken its toll on Mauricio Pochettino's playing resources. Last summer, Spurs became the first Premier League club since 2003 not to spend anything on signings and, though they have dug deep to keep hold of Harry Kane and Dele Alli, there is little room for manouevre left over to do the same with Eriksen, no matter how indispensable Pochettino considers him.
Madrid well placed to sign Eriksen for reasonable fee
As is the case with Hazard, Madrid appear to be in a strong position to push through a signing which, under different circumstances, may have proved eye-wateringly expensive. Not even a first ever European title for Spurs looks like changing that.