Tottenham Join Race for Arthur With Barcelona-Owned Emerson Also on the Radar

Tottenham are believed to have expressed an interest in Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo, while they are also monitoring Real Betis right-back Emerson, who is co-owned by La Blaugrana.

Arthur has been heavily linked with a move away from Camp Nou this summer, with Inter keen on including him in any potential deal to take Lautaro Martínez to Barcelona.

It appears as though Inter are not the only side keen on Arthur as Mundo Deportivo state that Spurs have expressed an interest in the Brazilian, and they hope that the allure of a permanent place in the starting lineup could be enough to tempt Arthur to make the move.

Spurs have asked whether he is available for a sale, and they would even be willing to offer a player in exchange if Barcelona preferred that. There's no mention of any names here, but Tanguy Ndombele has recently been linked with a switch to Camp Nou, so make of that what you will.

Unfortunately for Spurs, neither Barcelona nor Arthur actually want a transfer this summer. Barcelona see him as a core part of both the present and the future, and the 23-year-old recently confessed that his 'time at Barça has not ended'.

It is noted that Barcelona would consider an enormous offer (obviously), but they are not interested in selling Arthur unless they are blown away by the size of any bid.

However, one player who might be more accessible is Emerson, who MD note is also on Spurs' radar this summer. Let's dip our toes into the murky waters of co-ownership.

So, Barcelona signed Emerson for around €13m in January 2019, but the deal was half-financed by Betis. The Brazilian actually semi-permanently joined Betis that summer, but Barcelona have the option to sign him themselves (again) for somewhere between €6m and €9m in 2021.

Ah, co-ownership. It's so totally not confusing.

MD state that Spurs have been impressed by the 21-year-old's performances this year and they are ready to sanction a bid, and it is thought that Barcelona would be prepared to let him go if the offer was big enough.

Barça would have to buy 100% of his rights before selling him to Spurs, but that wouldn't be a problem if Spurs' bid covered the costs.

They're not desperate to sell Emerson, who they see as a future right-back at the club - especially with Nélson Semedo linked with an exit - but the chance to make some big money might be too good to turn down.

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Source : 90min