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Not content with hijacking Liverpool‘s moves for Clint Dempsey and Gylfi Sigurdsson, Tottenham Hotspur are now seeking to hijack Liverpool’s potential summer deal for Blackpool starlet Thomas Ince.
The 21-year-old was sold by Liverpool in 2011 for just £250,000 but after the wingers stellar latest season with Blackpool, his value has shot up now to somewhere in the £6 million region due mainly to his 18 goals this year. Such has been Ince’s impact in the Championship that clubs other than Liverpool are now starting to take notice of the tricky winger, most notably, Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester United.
United would certainly be tempting to Ince, but he would most likely have to be content to be benched as he wouldn’t be guaranteed a starting berth at Old Trafford. The Spurs could certainly be an option for Ince as they seem to be a well-marshaled team and could provide Champions League experience.
It’s my understanding though that Ince’s father, Paul, would rather his son returned to Liverpool as he feels Thomas’s development would be better served by Brendan Rodgers. Paul Ince still has strong ties to Liverpool and now, being the Blackpool manager, he can control who he wants to keep and sell.
Ince’s style and profile fits in perfectly to the Fenway Sports Group as he’s young with a high potential sell-on value. The style of play and penchant for youth development at Liverpool would certainly suit Ince, and it’s now surely just a matter of time before a deal is done.
The player himself is keen to secure a return to Liverpool and after his exploits this year, Ince is due an opportunity to shine on the big stage.
Financially, it’s also good business for Liverpool as Ince could be a direct replacement on the wing for Stewart Downing. Downing would be valued at approximately £8 million so the potential for a swap deal also looms large.
It’s imperative that Liverpool tie up the deal for Ince as soon as possible in order to dampen the enthusiasm of other prospective clubs. Ince is the future of Liverpool and Liverpool is Ince’s future.
James Hilton is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter , Facebook or add him to your network on Google
