Tottenham Hotspur failed to land Desire Doue, who is now thriving at PSG, but they can make up for it by signing a player tipped to emulate Eden Hazard.
Hazard earned a Premier League Hall of Fame induction earlier this week after many prolific years at Chelsea.
The Belgian began his career in France with Lille, for whom he provided 103 goal contributions.
Hazard is among a plethora of quality talent to emerge from Ligue 1 over the years, as is former Tottenham transfer target Desire Doue.
How close Tottenham came to signing Desire Doue
The 20-year-old moved to the French capital in 2024 after breaking in at Stade Rennais.
Prior to that, Spurs had an interest in the attacker, and as revealed by Tom Allnutt on The Tottenham Way podcast, he visited North London and spoke with Ange Postecoglou.
He said: “One obvious standout name who actually does have a Tottenham link. Could well have been a Spurs player if he’d opted to join Tottenham last summer.
“Desire Doue, PSG, obviously Champions League winner, scorer in the Champions League final, brilliant player. But the summer last year, he actually came over to Tottenham’s training grounds to have a look around with his family and I think quite a few agents. He had a chat with Postecoglou.
“It seemed like there was a possibility of it happening. In the end, he chose PSG.”
Djed Spence has said that Doue reminds him of Neymar, and it’s easy to see why, given how well he has performed in Paris.
The winger has 19 goals and 19 assists in 69 matches for PSG, including three goal contributions in the Champions League final versus Inter Milan last season.
There’s no question he’s one of the brightest prospects in world football, and Spurs failing to land him was a major blow.
Tottenham can sign next Eden Hazard in Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi
However, Tottenham can make up for their mistake by signing another up-and-coming Ligue 1 talent ahead of their Premier League rivals.
TBR Football have revealed that Lille star Ayyoub Bouaddi has plenty of transfer interest from a host of top English teams.
Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool are just some of the clubs showing an interest in the 18-year-old.
Despite his age, Bouaddi already has 67 senior appearances to his name and is a France U21 international.
Our chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey, has revealed how those close to Lille feel about the teenager, and the verdict is positive.
He said: “Lille know they have a generational talent on their hands. When you speak to sources close to the club, they mention Eden Hazard’s name and believe Bouaddi is capable of reaching that level.”
The French outfit are preparing for his likely departure, and Tottenham securing his services would be a real statement of intent.