Tottenham poised to triumph over Bayern and Barcelona in the race as Daniel Levy eyes a budget-friendly deal for German talent who’s prepared for a Spurs deal, expressing concerns about potential playing time scarcity at Bayern or Barcelona.
Tottenham Hotspur have identified Hertha Berlin midfielder Boris Mamzuah Lum, nicknamed Bobo, as a potential transfer target, it has been revealed in Germany.
Lum is also said to have caught the attention of other clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as Bayer Leverkusen, Ajax and Red Bull Salzburg.
This is according to notable German outlet Bild, which claims all of those suitors except Tottenham and Barcelona have made contact already with Hertha Berlin.
Invitingly, Lum is available for just a €5m release clause (which equates to around £4.3m).
It would seem to be a bargain investment for a player that Hertha manager Pal Dardai has described as “one of the greatest talents of recent years” and a “born footballer” who is showing traits that have been missing in Berlin for a while.
In short, Lum sounds like a top talent with qualities well worth investing in.
So, what’s the catch? Well, Lum is still only 16 years old and is still playing at youth level for Hertha.
It means that €5m might be quite the commitment to make in terms of a transfer fee at this stage, although if he progresses as expected into the senior game – having trained with Hertha’s first team, who are currently in the second tier of German football, during the winter break – it could prove to be shrewd.
Tottenham are putting the building blocks in place for a competitive future, as also seen by their agreement to sign another current 16-year-old, defender Luka Vuskovic from Hajduk Split, when he turns 18 in 2025.
They now have cast their gaze upon Lum, but will similarly face plenty of competition to win the race for his signature.
Lum contract situation explained
Besides, Hertha have managed to extend Lum’s contract until 2026, with an option to extend into 2027 on professional terms.
As part of the arrangement, Lum’s salary will increase year upon year, but the release clause is there to present a risk of Hertha losing him.
He is mainly still playing for their under-17s, but has been lifted to under-19 level once this season already.
At international level, Germany have capped him for their under-16s and called him up to their under-17 squad, without giving him his debut in that bracket just yet.
The future seems to be bright for Lum, which means clubs like Tottenham and his other admirers would be wise to continue monitoring his development in case they are able to invest in him for themselves.
