PNE have signed the Tottenham Hotspur man on a permanent deal
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Tottenham Hotspur will receive 20 per cent of any profit Preston North End make on Alfie Devine, according to reports.
Following the midfielder’s club-record move back to Deepdale, on a permanent basis, Mail Sport report that Spurs have inserted a sell-on clause in the agreement. Devine tripled PNE’s previous transfer record, with the fee believed to be worth up to £6million.
North End will pay that in installments - over three years it is thought - with Devine putting pen-to-paper on a five-year contract and taking the number seven shirt. As part of the announcement, Preston CEO Peter Ridsdale paid particular thanks to the ownership.
He said: “I would like to go on record to thank The Hemmings' family for the unbelievable financial commitment in allowing us to get this deal over the line, in addition to the investment in the new hybrid Desso pitch at Deepdale.
"I would also like to thank Tottenham Hotspur for the way in which they have handled this transfer. It has been a pleasure working with everyone connected with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.”
Why did Devine return?
As reported by the Lancashire Post, the 21-year-old attracted interest from the likes of Celtic, Wolves, Southampton and Burnley over the summer. With more money potentially on offer elsewhere, what convinced Devine to come back to Deepdale?
When asked about it by in-house media, he said: “I think you could just tell last year how much I loved it here. From the first minute I came here to my last minute when I played last season, I absolutely loved it.
“The fans, staff, players, everyone around the place made me feel so welcome and then throughout the season, for me it felt like the perfect loan move at the time. And then, it was that perfect where I had to make it permanent.”