TOTTENHAM STAR ADMITS ‘FATE’ TO DECIDE HIS FUTURE BUT LURE OF ONE CLUB MAY BE TOUGH TO IGNORE

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris admits he is drawn to former club Nice but will let ‘fate’ decide where he plays his football next season.

The 36-year-old has just completed his 11th season for Spurs after joining from Lyon in the summer of 2012. The former France international has made 361 Premier League appearances for the north Londoners and 447 in all competitions. He captains the club but his future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is up in the air.

Lloris will fall out of contract next summer and it seems unlikely he will be handed fresh terms by Tottenham.

Therefore, he can either leave this summer or negotiate with foreign clubs from January next year.

Despite having been between the Spurs posts for more than a decade, the jury is out on whether he should continue.

The man who won 145 France caps has become more prone to making costly blunders. And there is a school of thought that the time is now right to move him on.

Rumours of a possible move to Saudi Arabia have surfaced. But there has also been talk of a return to Nice.

The veteran shot-stoper was born in the city and began his professional career with Les Aiglons.

He made 78 appearances for the Allianz Riviera outfit before leaving for Lyon in 2008.

Lloris admits love for Nice

Lloris has yet to pick up any silverware at Tottenham. He reached the EFL Cup final in both 2014-15 and 2020-21 while Spurs were beaten by Liverpool in the 2018-2019 Champions League final.

Nobody at the club would begrudge him a move away after his years of service. And there is a groundswell of opinion in the media that he will be allowed to leave.

Lloris refused to be drawn on his plans but did not rule out a return to Nice.

“I am very attached to the city of Nice, as you know,” he told radio station BFM Nice Cote d’Azur. “I can’t speak about concrete things.

“The club has to finish the season first, there are two goalkeepers of high quality, including one that I’m good friends with in Kasper Schmeichel.

“You can understand that it’s difficult to speak about these kinds of subjects. I’ll let fate handle things.”

Lloris exit paves way for Raya capture

Brentford keeper David Raya is a man in demand. Having performed superbly for the Bees over four seasons, it seems as though he will be allowed to move on this summer.

Tottenham have already been linked but face competition from Chelsea and Manchester United.

Lloris’s possible departure would clear the way for the Spaniard to arrive.

There may be a stumbling block over his price, however. Brentford want around £40m but a recent report suggested Spurs were willing to pay only half that amount.

If the 27-year-old did arrive at Spurs it would almost certainly spell the end of Lloris’s time at the club.

2023-06-01T21:15:23Z dg43tfdfdgfd