The agent of Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Royal has claimed that the Brazilian has a "great possibility" to leave the club this summer and believes that a move to Real Madrid is realistic for his client.
Both Arsenal and Spurs were thought to have been interested in Emerson in the summer of 2021, and Tottenham ultimately won the race to bring him to North London from Barcelona, as Arsenal moved for Takehiro Tomiyasu instead.
Tottenham coughed up £22.1m to prise the right-back away from Camp Nou two years ago, but he has since been the target of scathing criticism from his own supporters and rival fans amid a spate of error-strewn performances.
Emerson briefly enjoyed a redemption arc after the turn of the year, managing to keep January arrival Pedro Porro out of the XI, but he has since been demoted to second choice behind the Spaniard.
The Brazil international is currently recovering from knee surgery and is expected to be back in time for the final few games of the season, but his agent has now talked up the prospect of a summer move elsewhere.
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Emerson Zulu - the player's father and representative - told the Charla Podcast of his son's desire to leave for a team competing for trophies, and he name dropped Real Madrid as a possible destination.
"There is a great possibility that Emerson will leave Tottenham. We believe it's time for him to take a bigger leap and to go to a team that fights for titles. I think he fits a giant like Real Madrid," Emerson Zulu said.
While there is no suggestion that Real Madrid are interested in signing the former Barcelona man, the right-back position could soon be an area of concern for Los Blancos, as the injury-plagued Dani Carvajal will turn 32 next year and is out of contract in 2025.
Meanwhile, Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Odriozola could both leave as free agents at the end of next season, opening up the possibility that Carlo Ancelotti's side could try to sign a new right-back.
Emerson's exploits for Real Betis during a two-year stint convinced Tottenham to take a punt on him, and the defender has since recorded three goals and two assists from 73 games for Spurs in all tournaments.
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Emerson's statistics include two goals and one assist from 32 matches in the current campaign, and his contract with the Lilywhites runs for another three years, meaning that Spurs would be in a strong position to recoup the £22.1m they paid for his services two years ago.
Prior to Porro's arrival, Emerson remained Spurs' first-choice right-wing back ahead of Matt Doherty and Djed Spence, who has since been loaned out to Ligue 1 side Rennes after a disastrous debut campaign with Spurs.
Spence played just five minutes in the Premier League before being shipped out to France, but should the 22-year-old make a name for himself as Spurs next season, the door could be open for Royal to depart.
The South American watched on from the sidelines as Spurs were destroyed 6-1 by Newcastle United on Sunday, leaving them six points off the top four having played a game more than the Magpies.
Following that St James' Park mauling, Tottenham are apparently considering sacking interim head coach Cristian Stellini, who only took over from Antonio Conte a few weeks ago.
Ben Knapton
