Middlesbrough have reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur for England Under-21 defender Ashley Phillips, with TEAMtalk understanding the centre-back is set to become the latest major addition to Kim Hellberg’s squad.
TEAMtalk revealed last month that Boro had opened talks with Spurs over Phillips, and sources have now confirmed a permanent deal has been agreed after Tottenham decided against sending the 21-year-old out on loan for a third successive season.
Phillips spent the past two campaigns gaining valuable Championship experience with Stoke City, but Middlesbrough have moved decisively to secure him on a long-term basis.
We understand the guaranteed fee is worth £7million, with add-ons and performance-related bonuses capable of taking the overall package beyond £10million.
The deal continues an increasingly strong relationship between the two clubs, and means Middlesbrough could spend more than £30million with Tottenham this summer alone following the earlier arrival of striker Will Lankshear. That could be worth more than £20million with add-ons.
Having narrowly missed out on promotion after defeat in last season’s Championship play-off final, Boro have shown they are determined to go one step further under Hellberg.
The club’s ambitious recruitment drive has been fuelled by the sale of Hayden Hackney, while the record-breaking transfer of Morgan Rogers has also delivered another significant financial windfall through sell-on clauses.
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Phillips becomes the latest high-profile arrival for Middlesbrough in what has already been one of the Championship’s busiest transfer windows.
This week alone, Middlesbrough have also agreed a £14million deal with Manchester United for goalkeeper Radek Vitek.
Earlier in the summer, the Teesside club completed moves for Jeremy Sarmiento, Kyle Joseph and United States internationals Max Arfsten and Sebastian Berhalter.
Steve Gibson has now committed more than £50million to strengthening the squad this summer.
This underlines Middlesbrough’s determination to build a side capable of securing automatic promotion back to the Premier League.