Tottenham Transfers: Spurs Looking to Add Some Internazionale Flavor to the Club

Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was strangely silent for the last week. That might have been due to another top-class netminder being put on the market.

Inter Milan’s Julio Cesar has been seemingly dangled (via Gazzetta dello Sport, h/t football-italia.net) to the rest of Europe after the Italian outfit purchased Samir Handanovic from Udinese earlier this summer.

The 32-year-old Cesar has been, by all accounts, bumped out of the first-team picture and Inter are looking to shed his contract, estimated to be about €4.5 million per season.

And if the rest of the Football Italia report is to be believed, Inter might simply cut ties with Cesar and put him out on the free-agent market.

It seems a bit unfair for Inter to ditch Cesar, who sat behind one of the creakiest defenses in Serie A last season, but Inter, much like their brethren in the San Siro, would like to shed some payroll.

With Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas’ July 15 deadline (via football.fr) passing by with no transfer completion, Tottenham are looking elsewhere for a new backstop with current No. 1 Brad Friedel expected to retire at season's end.

While Andre Villas-Boas has preferred a move for Lloris, a freebie transfer of a goalkeeper of Cesar’s pedigree would be too good for Tottenham to pass up.

This is also the first time we’ve probably seen a clash between Villas-Boas and Daniel Levy on personnel decisions.

Namely, once it probably became clear that Cesar would be available on the cheap, Tottenham had no desire to push the issue with Lyon over Lloris.

A bid of €17 million has been balked at with Lyon wanting €20 million or so for the French captain.

But, if Cesar is available for possibly free, what is there to debate about?

With a lack of clubs needing first-choice goalkeepers, it makes the challenge less difficult for Spurs to acquire Cesar.

Udinese, Schalke and Montpellier would be the only Champions League squads that might have an interest in Cesar, though nothing has materialized linking any of them to the Brazilian.

It’s also been prompted that Cesar might be interested in staying at the San Siro, only then donning the red and black of A.C. Milan.

Unless Cesar wants to mind the shop with four hired bodyguards around him at one time, however, A.C. Milan seems an unlikely destination.

That leaves Tottenham in a prime position to make a play for Cesar, who’s taken home his fair share of silverware at his time at Inter.