Tottenham are close to completing the signing of Crystal Palace and England midfielder Eberechi Eze.
Spurs have reached an agreement in principle with Palace for the 27-year-old, who should be granted permission to undergo a medical in the coming days.
There has been a suspicion that the Eagles will look to sign a replacement first, and Tottenham received a boost when news emerged of Palace reaching an agreement for Bilal El Khannouss.
Thomas Frank has been eager to sign another midfielder this summer, after James Maddison underwent surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament.
Eberechi Eze shares cheeky smirk with Sky Sports camera
Spurs had initially shown interest in Eze at the start of the summer, but moved on to alternative targets after it became clear Palace would not negotiate below the £68million release clause.
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Instead, a deal was agreed with West Ham for Mohammed Kudus, before decision-makers at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium attempted to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest.
Spurs met the £60m release clause and looked to be set to welcome their man, but the situation quickly became complex.
Forest claimed that Spurs had acted outside of the rules to approach Gibbs-White without permission, and refused to honour the clause.
Eventually, the midfielder signed a new deal at The City Ground, and Frank was forced to move on.
Maddison’s injury once again increased urgency for a signing in that area, however, and Spurs returned for Eze, who had favoured a move to Arsenal.
But the Gunners have not formalised their interest, and the England international is now set to move to the other side of North London.
Eze was captured looking directly into the Sky Sports cameras on 20 August as Gary Cotterill discussed transfers live from the Palace training ground, and revealed a smirk at the journalist’s comments.
Eberechi Eze will provide maverick quality to Spurs
Spurs have already signed one maverick this summer in Kudus, and Eze will provide them with another.
The midfielder is not afraid to take on the burden of responsibility when his team need a moment of magic, and offers superb attacking and creative numbers.
Eberechi Eze last season:
Eze creates goals and he scores goals, and his arrival at Spurs will undoubtedly send a statement to the rest of the Premier League.