Mauricio Pochettino holds positive talks with Spurs hierarchy as Chelsea accept defeat in quest to lure him
Mauricio Pochettino has held positive discussions with chairman Daniel Levy over his Tottenham Hotspur future, with Chelsea now resigning themselves to the fact there is virtually no chance he will push for a move to Stamford Bridge.
Hopes have been raised that Pochettino will stay at Spurs and recommit himself by signing a new contract, with sources claiming talks between the Argentine and Levy have gone well and that more are scheduled.
There were doubts over Pochettino’s future last week after he revealed he would speak to Levy about the direction Spurs are heading in and urged the club to be brave.
He wants the green light to go ahead with a £150million overhaul of his Tottenham squad and start business, both in terms of ins and outs, earlier than in previous years.
It seems Levy may be prepared to grant some of his manager’s wishes and the Spurs chairman remains keen for Pochettino to sign a new deal that could be worth £8.5m a year.
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Having last signed a contract two years ago, Pochettino is committed to Tottenham until 2021, but Levy would like him to at least extend that by a further 12 months.
Pochettino has been well aware that he has admirers elsewhere, particularly at Chelsea, who are set to replace head coach Antonio Conte.
But there is little optimism at Stamford Bridge that Pochettino will force his way out of Tottenham to replace Conte and Chelsea are focussing their attention elsewhere, with Luis Enrique currently rated as the likeliest successor to the Italian.
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One of the players Pochettino is interested in signing this summer is forward Anthony Martial, who is also on Chelsea’s radar.
Tottenham’s hopes of beating Chelsea to Martial’s signature could be boosted by Manchester United’s interest in central defender Toby Alderweireld.
While there is little prospect of a straight swap involving the two players, both clubs could be more inclined to do business if they can get what they want.
Spurs want around £45m for Alderweireld, which is similar to the value that has been placed on Martial who has been left out France’s World Cup squad.
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Chelsea would be prepared to pay Martial more than Tottenham, but Pochettino can promise Champions League football and point to the positive impact he has had on most of his players.
Crystal Palace are adamant they will not sell Wilfried Zaha, who is another target of Pochettino, for anything other than ‘silly money’.
Ryan Sessegnon’s future is set to be decided by the outcome of next weekend’s Championship play-off final between Fulham and Aston Villa. Tottenham are at the front of the queue to sign the left-sided teenager should Fulham lose.
Other than Alderweireld, Pochettino is willing to listen to offers for Mousa Dembele, Danny Rose, Fernando Llorente, Moussa Sissoko and possibly Victor Wanyama.
