Tottenham Hotspur are set to launch a £30m bid to sign Bournemouth’s England international midfielder Lewis Cook, according to reports in The Star.
Cook, a £10m signing from Leeds United in 2016, has risen to prominence since joining Eddie Howe’s side on the south coast, and was tipped by many to make Gareth Southgate’s final 23 for the World Cup in Russia following a season ending injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The reported interest from Spurs holds an air of panic from a club who are yet to make a single signing in the 2018 summer transfer window, despite manager Mauricio Pochettino signing a new five year contract in May and reportedly being promised in the region of £150m for transfer expenditure.
Cook would add unquestionably quality to Tottenham’s squad, though whether he is capable of displacing the likes of Moussa Dembele, Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier as Pochettino’s preferred midfield options remains to be seen.
A £30m boost to the Bournemouth transfer kitty would represent a £20m profit for the Cherries, though whether they would be keen to depart with such a promising player with just seven days remaining in the transfer window is an entirely different question.
The move would raise serious question marks over the ambition of Howe’s side as they attempt to retain their Premier League status for a fourth successive season, though with Spurs seemingly in a state of panic, Bournemouth could demand a ludicrous fee, with a high chance of Daniel Levy coughing up in a rare move to satisfy his manager’s demands prior to the renewal of his contract.
