Hugo Lloris edges closer to Tottenham exit after Los Angeles FC talks

Hugo Lloris had been a guaranteed starter for Tottenham in each of his 11 previous seasons with the club - Getty Images/Mark Leech

Hugo Lloris is in talks over a move to Los Angeles FC with Tottenham Hotspur willing to grant the goalkeeper a free transfer in recognition of his 11 years of service.

Having turned down a number of possible moves in the summer, including a return to Nice, Lloris has not made a single appearance for Tottenham this season.

The Frenchman has been third choice behind Guglielmo Vicario and Fraser Forster, even though head coach Ange Postecoglou has repeatedly denied he has a set pecking order.

With only six months remaining on his contract, Tottenham are prepared to grant Lloris a free transfer should he want to leave the club in January.

Lloris joined Spurs in 2012 and captained the club, making 447 appearances and playing in the 2019 Champions League defeat to Liverpool.

Tottenham have allowed Lloris to speak with MLS club LAFC, who hope to sign the French World Cup winner, whose last appearance for Tottenham was in last season’s humiliating 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United.

But Lloris will be remembered as one of Tottenham’s best-ever goalkeepers and a relative bargain, having joined the club in a deal that was able to rise to £13 million from Lyon.

Asked earlier this month if Lloris could leave Tottenham in January, Postecoglou said: “It’s not my decision. It’s a decision for Hugo and the club. I don’t have that power and don’t want that power.

“Hugo is a member of this squad and how he trains every day is important to me. If he wasn’t then I’d be dealing with it, but I haven’t had to, he has been absolutely first-class.

“And as a manager I don’t take that for granted because that could be a problem for me. For most managers it is the ones who aren’t playing who give you the biggest headaches. It’s his decision to make.”

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