Manchester United target Hugo Lloris happy to remain at Tottenham claims Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino has once again claimed that Hugo Lloris is perfectly happy at Tottenham and wants to remain at the club amid increasingly persistent transfer talk linking him with Manchester United.

The talented goalkeeper has established a reputation as one of the finest players in his position currently active in the Premier League since arriving from Lyon in 2012 and enjoyed another impressive individual campaign at White Hart Lane despite his team possessing the joint-fifth worst defensive record in the top-flight with 53 goals conceded.

Sweeper-keeper Lloris' assured and consistent performances for Tottenham appear to have attracted significant attention from Louis van Gaal over recent weeks, with Manchester United still uncertain as to whether player of the year David de Gea will stay at Old Trafford ahead of next season or instead seek a return to La Liga with Real Madrid.

De Gea is out of contract in June 2017 and appears to be Real's number one choice to compete against or indeed permanently replace the ageing Iker Casillas.

While Lloris would seem a suitable replacement for the Spaniard, however, Pochettino has dismissed the latest gossip concerning the 28-year-old and insists he is currently content in North London.

"There have been a lot of rumours, but Hugo wants to stay with us and we are happy with him too," he was quoted by the Daily Mail. "He is happy and everything else is just rumour."

At the crux of the speculation regarding Lloris and Manchester United seems to be an apparent desire on the player's part to feature regularly in the Champions League.

Tottenham have not qualified for the competition since being knocked out at the quarter-final stage in 2011 and are now set for a fifth consecutive stint in the lesser-valued Europa League after they achieved automatic qualification on the final day of the season with victory at Everton.

Fourth-place Manchester United, meanwhile, will again take their place among Europe's elite after a one-year absence providing they are able to negotiate an inevitably tricky two-legged play-off tie in August.

Lloris is not the only key Tottenham player to have been mentioned in connection with United of late. Van Gaal, who has already completed his first signing of the summer with the capture of Memphis Depay from Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven, is seemingly eager to bolster his strikeforce further following Radamel Falcao's return to parent club Monaco and widespread reports have suggested that Harry Kane is also a prominent target.

The England international, said to be worth in the region of £45m ($68.8), notched 21 goals in just 28 games during his first full season of Premier League football and earlier this month sought to reassure concerned supporters that he has no immediate plans to leave.

"Spurs are a big club and I have a bright future here. I hope to continue scoring goals and doing well with the club," he said.

Tottenham are set to return to the United Kingdom shortly after a post-season visit to Asia that included narrow wins over a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney FC.

Kane continued his prolific form ahead of the U21 European Championship by netting all three of his team's goals in those two aforementioned friendly contests.