Yves Bissouma accidentally reveals Tottenham star's imminent exit before it's official
Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma appears to have let news of Emerson Royal's departure from the club slip before an official announcement was made.
Royal has been the subject of keen interest from Serie A giants AC Milan as new boss Paulo Fonseca shapes his team ahead of next season.
talkSPORT understands the deal for Royal is at an advanced stage but talks are still ongoing, despite Italian reports that a deal with the Brazilian worth £12.8m (€15m) plus bonuses is done.
Although nothing has been made official yet, a Snapchat video from Bissouma seems to indicate that it's not far off.
The Malian international appears wearing his Spurs training gear as Emerson sports a red t-shirt as the two share a long secret handshake before hugging each other tightly.
At the end of the video, Bissouma wrote: “One of the best guys I've ever seen. All the best bro, love you. See you there soon.”
The Royal arrived at Tottenham from LaLiga heavyweights Barcelona in 2021 for £25.8m (€30m) following his impressive two-year loan spell at Real Betis.
The 25-year-old made 101 appearances for the north London side, scoring four goals and registering two assists in that time.
Royal also has ten caps for Brazil, most recently in a 1-0 loss to Argentina, in which he started.
A right-back by trade, Royal was forced to play at left-back and centre-back on several occasions last season amid Tottenham's defensive injury crisis.
Unfortunately for Royal, he was never Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou's first choice at right-back, with the Australian preferring Pedro Porro.
Tottenham had the chance to part ways with Royal in the January window as Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi Arabian club. Al Nassr made an offer of 21 million pounds (25 million euros).
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However, talkSPORT understands that the club have rejected Al Nassr's overtures.
Royal only made six more Premier League appearances after the January shutdown, four of them as a starter.
He will no doubt anticipate more playing time at Milan, who finished second in Serie A but only reached the quarter-finals in the Coppa Italia and Europa League.
