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Tottenham chasing £25m Griezmann

ESPN staff
July 22, 2014
Antoine Griezmann was part of the France squad that reached the World Cup quarter-finals © Getty Images
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Tottenham have been told to up their bid for Real Sociedad's Antoine Griezmann after identifying the France winger as the man to fill Gareth Bale's boots at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham have reportedly had one bid, understood to be £15 million, turned down after Socieded insisted the winger would not leave for anything less than his buyout clause of £25m.

Chelsea and Monaco are also said to be monitoring Griezmann's situation and both could offer Champions League football and higher wages than Tottenham, which would likely trump the player's good relationship with Spurs goalkeeper and France captain Hugo Lloris.

Tottenham did not sign a direct replacement for Bale when he was sold to Real Madrid for a world-record £85m last summer, instead opting to splash out on a series of signings who enjoyed mixed fortunes last season.

One of those who struggled to make an impact was Erik Lamela, who joined Spurs for a club-record £30m from Roma last August. The Argentinian playmaker was branded a flop after form and fitness problems restricted him to just three league starts in his first year at White Hart Lane.

Now Lamela has insisted he is ready to show the Premier League what he can do under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

"I am getting in good shape and am determined to show Tottenham fans the real Erik Lamela this season," Lamela told the Sun.

"I have recovered from my injuries, we have a new manager and I cannot wait to play. I am confident you will see a much better me this season."

Lamela joined Tottenham on the final day of the summer transfer window last year with the season already under way and initially struggled to win a place in the starting XI. When he flew to Italy for rehabilitation on a back injury in February, many predicted he would not return.

"Last season was a frustrating one all round for me," Lamela admitted. "It took a while to get into the team and then I kept getting injured, which meant I was overlooked by Argentina too.

"Moving to a new club is always hard but it is even harder when it is in a new country and you are not able to play. A footballer always feels lonely when he can't play for whatever reason and I felt very lonely at times last season.

"There have never been any problems with my team-mates, they have been there always. But now my injuries have gone and we have a new manager who is the same nationality as me, I feel as though I have a new lease of life."

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