Tottenham Hotspur are trying to come up with ways to overcome the roadblocks to landing Ivan Toney from Al-Ahli in January.
Regular readers of Spurs Web will be aware of the speculation over recent weeks suggesting that Tottenham want to offer Toney a route back to the Premier League.
In fact, last month, Thomas Frank himself said that he would be happy to work with Toney at Tottenham.
However, over the last two weeks, a number of sources have suggested that the former Brentford striker is not in a hurry to return to the Premier League and that there are impediments to him leaving the Saudi club in January.
It has now emerged that there may be one route which could allow the Lilywhites to overcome those impediments.
Tottenham are exploring signing Ivan Toney on loan
According to a new report in TEAMtalk, Tottenham are now leading the race to sign the 29-year-old. The report alleges that Frank has already spoken to Toney about a move to N17.
However, it is revealed that a permanent transfer in January is off the table as not only do the Lilywhites not want to pay the £30m fee, but the centre-forward also risks a big tax bill if his lucrative Saudi contract is terminated early.
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As a result, Spurs are now exploring an initial loan deal for the striker, which is the ‘only viable path’ as it allows Al-Ahli to protect their investment while allowing the England international to play at the highest level.
The report adds that the relationship between Toney and Frank remains strong, and suggests that the striker may be attracted by the fact that he already knows the Dane’s system inside out.
Spurs want Toney to replace Richarlison but they face competition
TEAMtalk say that Tottenham view the former Bees star as ‘the ideal short-term solution’ to their woes in the forward line.
The North Londoners want Toney to replace Richarlison and may even explore the possibility of inserting an obligation to buy him from Al-Ahli at the end of the season.
However, Spurs do not have a straight run at the England man, with West Ham expressing their interest while Everton are keeping an eye on the striker’s situation.