Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a fee in principle to sell goalkeeper Josh Keeley to Luton Town after failing to agree a new contract with the 22-year-old.
Keeley enjoyed a great season in League One with Leyton Orient, registering 16 clean sheets, as well as scoring a dramatic headed goal in an FA Cup tie against Oldham and receiving praise from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola before earning a senior call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad at the end of the campaign.
football.londonreported earlier this month that Spurs had been engaging in ongoing talks over a new contract for Keeley. But with an agreement unable to be found, a permanent move now looks to be on the cards with a potential long-term contract at League One side Luton and regular first team football on the table as well as a chance to push on his international chances.
The young goalkeeper is due to meet the Hatters to discuss the project and a deal is expected to be concluded in the next 24 hours.
Tottenham are set to include a sell-on clause as part of the deal to sell the stopper as there is a belief he will go on to become a Premier League goalkeeper, but there is not believed at this time to be a buy-back clause involved. The problem is that Spurs have a trio of first team goalkeepers in Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, who signed in January this year, and academy product Brandon Austin all tied down to long-term deals, which was always going to make it difficult for Keeley to break through into new head coach Thomas Frank's team.
The Irishman, who has been training this month with new goalkeeper coach Fabian Otte, is not helped by the fact that he cannot be considered homegrown despite spending the past three years at the club after arriving from St Patrick's Athletic. That makes it difficult to register him in European competition and has prevented him from getting into the reckoning ahead of academy product Austin despite having more senior match experience than the 26-year-old as well as that senior international call-up.
With Keeley between the sticks, Orient reached the League One Play-Off final but fell just short against Charlton at Wembley. The O's FA Cup exit came with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City with a shot from the halfway line from Keeley's Spurs team-mate Jamie Donley forcing the home side's goal before the Irish goalkeeper kept an expensively-assembled City side at bay.
"We were lucky at the end because they had chances, but we created a lot, their keeper was really, really good and it was a tight game," Guardiola said of Keeley.
Orient boss Richie Wellens said after that game: "Josh was class and he’s been brilliant. I think 75% of his performances have been clean-sheets. He’s got good character for a young kid and he’ll only go on and develop potentially into a top-level Premier League goalkeeper if he keeps his feet on the ground."
However, Keeley, who has previously gone on loan to Barnet in the National League and then stepped up to League One with Orient last season, is set for pastures new.