Tottenham Hotspur are just one of the clubs circling Lyon as the French club are in desperate need to offload their most expensive stars.
Tottenham may look to profit, as Les Gones received the much-dreaded news this week that they are being demoted to Ligue 2 as punishment for their poor financial state.
To both boost their coffers and readjust to their new level, Lyon are going to need to sell players fast, and Spurs could become one of the beneficiaries.
Tottenham to raid Lyon for 17-goal star
Following their Europa League final triumph against Manchester United at the end of the season, and the cash injection that follows, Spurs have funds to spend.
They also have a new boss in Thomas Frank – ranked at no.15 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now – who will be eager to bolster his squad ahead of his first season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was revealed by Italian outlet TuttoJuve that Spurs are eyeing Lyon striker Georges Mikautadze following the turmoil the French club were plunged into this week.
The Georgia international registered 17 goals and 11 assists in all competitions for Les Gones last season and, still only 24 years old, seems unlikely to drop into the second tier.
The Italian news site also revealed that Juventus are considering forward, with a number of English sides also tracking him.
Nevertheless, according to TuttoJuve, it is Spurs who are currently the frontrunners.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, this is a no-brainer from Tottenham’s perspective.
Clubs across Europe will be alert to Lyon’s difficult situation, which will provide them very little leverage in negotiations and could spawn some bargains.
Although they do have Dominic Solanke, he was not the most reliable for goals and missed more than his fair share of minutes through injury, so if a player like Mikautadze is available for a knock-down price, they have to explore it.
Mikautadze is valued at €22m, according to Transfermarkt.
