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Tottenham Hotspur have reached their first Champions League final this season. This is their biggest opportunity to win the most esteemed trophy in Europe. There are a few players Spurs owe this final to. One of them is the Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen.
The Dane's 80th-minute winner against Inter on matchday 5 can't be forgotten so easily. He has made a habit of scoring long rangers that change the games. There are reports that he could be on his way to Real Madrid.
Spurs have a history of losing big players to Real Madrid; Gareth Bale and Luka Modric are two examples.
So here are 3 players that Tottenham could target to replace Eriksen if he leaves:
#1 Dani Ceballos
Dani Ceballos burst onto the scene when the player performed brilliantly in U21 Euros in 2017, taking Spain to the finals where they lost to Germany. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament award for his brilliant performance.
Since joining Madrid it hasn't exactly been the easy way for Ceballos. He has not been getting the game time he needs after the return of Zidane. He had started to establish his position in the squad under Solari but his sacking and Zidane's return hasn't been in Ceballos' favour.
Not as much of an attacking player as Eriksen, Ceballos is the type of player who can dictate the flow of a game. His accurate passing and dribbling make him an asset for any team. He also has an eye for goal as we can see by his performances for his U21 team. Including Ceballos in the deal could help Real Madrid in bringing down the asking price for Eriksen.
#2 Giovani Lo Celso
Giovani Lo Celso is an Argentine footballer who began his career with his boyhood club Rosario Central in Argentina. He moved to French Champions PSG in 2016. Even though he made 38 appearances for PSG during his time in Paris, he couldn't create the impact he had hoped for in the first team.
To refresh his career, he was loaned out to Real Betis in the La Liga last summer. In Betis, he has been in terrific form both scoring and assisting. He has even managed 12 caps for the Argentina national team. He has been lethal in front of goal this season scoring 16 times from the midfield and was the club's top scorer in all competitions.
He certainly has the goalscoring capabilities of Eriksen as he has shown in his time at Betis and also the potential to succeed him at Spurs. Lo Celso has only recently been signed permanently by Betis but Spurs seem to have reportedly launched a bid already.
#3 Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech joined Ajax from Twente in 2016. He has been in splendid form for the Eredivisie side for the last 2 years winning the Ajax Player of the Year award 2 years in a row.
He has made his mark in the Eredivisie, proving to be one of the most exciting midfield talents in world football. He is just 26 years old and has a long career in front of him. He had a staggering 19 goals and 16 assists in all competitions this season. He played a very important role in the young Ajax side's fairytale run to the UCL semifinals. Even against Tottenham, Ziyech was brilliant, scoring a beautiful goal. So the Tottenham fans know how dangerous he is. He is fast, versatile and also able to play as a winger besides taking up midfield duties.
The most important factor is that he has an incredibly low £25m release clause and surely could be one of the steals of the summer transfer window. At Tottenham, he would be able to get the game time he deserves and could fill the void that Eriksen may leave.
