Mauricio Pochettino Says 'There Is a Lot of Interest' in Christian Eriksen

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is hoping Christian Eriksen will stay at the club but has said "there is a lot of interest" in the Denmark international. 

The 27-year-old is into the final year of his contract with the north Londoners, and Pochettino told reporters he does not know what the future holds for one of his star players:

"I hope he will [stay]. I think he is a great player, Christian. One of the biggest talents in football. After five years working with him, I am sure in the way that he plays, and I hope so, yes. But you know, there is a lot of interest. I hope yes, but I don't know what is going to happen with that."

Eriksen told Ekstra Bladet at the start of June that he could be ready to leave Tottenham after six years at the club and spoke about the possibility of a move to Real Madrid:

Los Blancos have already spent heavily in the transfer window and have brought in Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo and Eder Militao.

The club are unlikely to be able to afford Eriksen unless they can offload players such as Gareth Bale, Isco, James Rodriguez and Keylor Navas, according to Ben Hayward at the Evening Standard.

Atletico Madrid reportedly are also interested in Eriksen. Manager Diego Simeone wants to "add a creative midfielder to his squad," according to Dan Kilpatrick at the Evening Standard.

Eriksen is one of the Premier League's best playmakers when he is at the top of his game, creating opportunities for his team-mates from deep and contributing vital goals. 

Squawka Football highlighted how effective he has been for Spurs:

WhoScored.com noted his threat from outside the penalty area:

However, a potential stumbling block to any move away is the fee Spurs want for the Dane. The club have placed a price tag of £130 million on the midfielder, according to John Cross at the Mirror.

There are very few clubs which could afford that fee or would be willing to pay such a large amount for a player who will be out of contract in 2020.

Per Matt Law at the Daily Telegraph, Eriksen is expected to return to Tottenham pre-season training on Thursday or Friday. 

Tottenham's asking price will have put off potential suitors, and unless Spurs are willing to accept a lower figure, it seems unlikely Eriksen will be going anywhere in the summer transfer window.