Tottenham Hotspur's first signing under Thomas Frank is all but set to be confirmed in the coming days, according to Fabrizio Romano - with 20-year-old defender Kota Takai set to join the Premier League outfit after breaking through the ranks at Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale.
Frank came to the helm earlier in the month after Ange Postecoglou was sacked, despite winning the Europa League to end a 17-year wait without a trophy for the north London outfit, as a result of his poor performance in the top-flight, where he finished just one place above the relegation zone.
Romano: Tottenham on 'Here We Go!' for Takai Signing
The Lilywhites are set to announce their third signing of the summer
Although demotion to the second-tier wasn't remotely close for Tottenham, it's their worst-ever finish in the competition since it began in 1992, and action has been taken to bring in Frank after his stellar spell at Brentford where he masterminded the Bees to two top-half finishes in the Premier League in the space of four seasons.
And it appears that his first signing as Tottenham boss will be 20-year-old defender Takai, with Tottenham reportedly set to pay around £5million to the J-League side for his services, a record deal for the division. Romano posted on Instagram:
Takai's contract runs for another 18 months, but having already made 57 appearances in the division, alongside four in the Asian Champions League, he's become a real 'breathtaking' star - noted by his captaincy of the club back in April as he featured against Postecoglou's former side, Yokohama F. Marinos.
Tottenham already have Micky Van de Ven, Radu Dragusin and Luka Vuskovic as young centre-backs in their squad, with the latter only being 18 years of age and making his debut for the Croatian national team earlier this month.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Kota Takai has four caps for Japan's national team.
But Frank is clearly wanting to strengthen their young backline even further and a deal for Takai looks to be imminent following his rapid development in his homeland, where he has become a key player for the club at such a young age.
Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have already joined thanks to loan-with-obligation and loan-with-option deals being triggered respectively, but Frank's first acquisition of his own is set to be Takai as he stamps his mark on the north London outfit.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 25-06-25.