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Tottenham man exiled by Ange Postecoglou 'in final stages' of agreeing back-door exit
Ange Postecoglou is set to clear one item from his transfer to-do list early in the January window.
Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham’s Cristian Romero out for ‘four or five weeks’
Tottenham outcast Hugo Lloris is reportedly on the verge of negotiating an exit from north London, with a move to Major League Soccer (MLS) in the works. Ange Postecoglou demoted the French World Cup winner to third-choice goalkeeper after the summer arrival of Guglielmo Vicario.
Spurs forked out £11million to sign Lloris from Lyon back in 2012. The 6ft 2in stopper has gone on to make almost 450 first-team appearances for the club, many of them as captain, although none of them have come since Postecoglou's appointment.
Exiled by the former Celtic boss, Lloris has been left to collect dust behind Vicario and Fraser Forster. And with just over six months remaining on his contract, the two parties are now set to go their separate ways.
According to The Daily Mail, Lloris is in the final stages of negotiations over a move to Los Angeles FC. An agreement, which would call time on an 11-year stay with the Lilywhites, is anticipated by early next week.
Lloris turned 37 on Boxing Day and his exit will clear a significant space on Tottenham's wage bill. The veteran stopper picked up 145 France caps during a distinguished international career, which saw him captain Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018.
He was unable to replicate that success at club level, however, with his Spurs stint poised to end without any major silverware. Lloris' arrival stateside would make him one of LAFC's most accomplished players.
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Italy legend Giorgio Chiellini spent this year with the club before hanging up his boots. Meanwhile, former Arsenal forward Carlos Vela has scored at an impressive rate for the Californian side since signing in 2018, but his contract is due to expire at the end of this month.
There was speculation as to whether Lloris would even make it into Spurs' 25-man Premier League squad this season. Postecoglou spoke out on his inclusion back in September, along with that of Eric Dier, who is also expected to pursue a new challenge in January.
"I think it was a fairly fluid situation [in the summer]," he explained. "We weren’t sure what was going to happen with Hugo. Dier was never out of the squad.
"Hugo and Eric were still with us so we had room to put them on the list and they’re on the list. Nothing’s really changed from that perspective. They were training with the first team and they’re training with the first team and available now."