Roma have announced Erik Lamela is to join Tottenham Hotspur.
The 21-year-old forward is regarded as one of the most exciting talents in European football, and his capture will be viewed as one of the coups of the summer for big-spending White Hart Lane outfit. An Argentina international with three caps for his country, Lamela has registered 19 goals in Serie A since his €15million arrival from River Plate two years ago.
A statement on the official Giallorossi website confirmed: “Roma announce they have signed a contract with Tottenham Hotspur for the outright sale of the playing rights of Erik Lamela, in exchange for €30million. The agreement also includes the obligation to pay €5million in bonuses related to the achievements of the player and the English club.”
Lamela’s arrival in North London will now likely allow Gareth Bale to seal his world record move to Real Madrid. The Welshman has been eager to join the Bernabeu club for much of the summer, and was said to be furious when he saw a proposed deal collapse last week. Indeed, the 24-year-old failed to link up with his Spurs team-mates in training on Wednesday.
Speaking later in the day, coach Andre Villas-Boas said of Bale’s situation: “At the moment, the two clubs are speaking to outline the final decisions or statements of contracts and I am not sure how much time it will take. It could happen very, very soon. It might not happen so soon. So I suppose it could go to the last days or it could happen in the next two days.”
Even without the double PFA Player of the Year, there is much for Tottenham fans to be excited about this season. As well as the record transfer signing of Lamela, they have spent heavily on Roberto Soldado (£25million), Paulinho (£17million), Etienne Capoue (£8.6million), and Nacer Chadli (£6million), whilst there is also talk of a deal for Ajax playmaker Christian Eriksen.
As for Roma, they will compensate for the departure of Lamela by signing Fiorentina forward Adem Ljajic, the Serbian international, for a fee of around €11million.
