TEAMtalk

Tottenham can expect to boost their transfer kitty by a further £20m in the next 24 hours after agreeing an initial deal with Leicester for Oliver Skipp, while Ange Postecoglou and Co are considering a hijack of the Conor Gallagher deal following his on/off move to Atletico Madrid.

The north London side get their season underway on Monday night when they take on Leicester at the King Power Stadium in what Tottenham hope will be another season of progress under Postecoglou. After starting last season with an impressive eight wins from 10 games before fading away as injuries and suspensions took hold, Spurs fans will be hoping for a similar bright opening this time around.

An intriguing sidenote to Monday night’s opener is the impending move between the clubs of homegrown Spurs midfielder Skipp. The 23-year-old has been on Tottenham’s books since the age of 2008 when he was just eight years old and has gone on to make 106 appearances for the club since his debut back in the 2018/19 season.

However, he has now been deemed surplus to requirements under Postecoglou and speculation over a move away for Skipp has been rife all summer.

IN DEPTH ➡️ Tantalising Tottenham XI to lead Postecoglou to promised land and end 16-year trophy wait

Initially linked with Leeds, TEAMtalk revealed the news that the 23-year-old did not want to drop out of the Premier League, thus ruling out a move to West Yorkshire.

Now one of the sides that beat them to promotion last season, Leicester City, are on the cusp of finalising the signing, with the deal potentially going through later today, though perhaps unlikely to be confirmed until after the conclusion of Monday’s game between the sides.

TEAMtalk can confirm that Skipp has already passed a medical and is set to agree a four-year deal at the King Power Stadium.

Tottenham transfers: Postecoglou keen to hijack Conor Gallagher deal

Spurs will receive an initial £20m for the midfielder, with the deal potentially hitting £23m with add-ons.

And with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg having already been sacrificed, Spurs suddenly look a little light in their central midfield area with summer signing Archie Gray the only man currently able to cover first-choice duo Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr.

However, that could be set to change in the closing days of the window as Postecoglou looks to add more options in the middle of the park.

Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli has recently been linked, amid claims he could be allowed to leave the Serie A giants for a fee in the region of €25m (£21.3m).

Despite that, there are also growing suggestions that Tottenham are keeping a close eye on the situation around Gallagher and his on/off move to Atletico Madrid.

The England midfielder, who captained the Blues on multiple occasions last season, has been made available for transfer this summer after being told he will only be a squad man under new bos Enzo Maresca.

As a result, the 24-year-old spent the first half of last week in Madrid as talks over his sale to Atletico Madrid got underway.

However, despite showing a willingess to make the move, the two clubs were unable to strike a total agreement over the structure of a £33.7m deal.

Postecoglou ‘would love’ to sign Chelsea man

Atletico still hope to resolve the situation around Gallagher, but there was major disappointment last week when Chelsea ordered Gallagher back to Cobham following the failure to strike a deal.

As a result, Football Insider now claims Postecoglou is watching the situation with interest and has made it clear to club chiefs he “would love” to hijack the deal and bring Gallagher to north London.

Gallagher has been a top target of Postecoglou ever since the Aussie took charge of Tottenham and came close to launching a move for his services in January.

READ NEXT ➡️ Talks underway as Tottenham prepare £27m offer for upgrade despite Postecoglou hinting at shock reintegration

However, a deal has previously been seen as difficult, owing to Gallagher’s affection for Chelses and unwillingness to sign for one of their bitter rivals.

But after being made clear he is no longer seen as important, it remains to be seen if Spurs could yet convince Gallagher to change his mind.

But with the transfer deadline now just 11 days away, Postecoglou has made it clear that he is desperate to add a new midfielder to his mix before the window slams shut.

A Tottenham transfer is expected to go through today once a medical is completed after they reached an agreement with another Premier League side for the permanent sale of Oliver Skipp.

After more than 100 appearances for Tottenham, Skipp seems to be coming to the end of his journey with the club. The academy graduate has at times looked unsuited to Ange Postecoglou’s preferred tactics and has fallen down the pecking order in recent months.

Despite being under contract until 2027, Skipp is now on the verge of leaving Tottenham – and his exit will be on a permanent basis.

Sources confirmed to TEAMtalk’s Fraser Gillan on Sunday morning that Tottenham were in talks with Leicester City about a deal for Skipp – and there have been swift developments.

David Ornstein of The Athletic has now confirmed that Leicester have reached an agreement to sign Skipp from Spurs for a fee in excess of £20million.

Indeed, Skipp’s medical has been scheduled for today after Leicester boss Steve Cooper gave his approval to the deal.

New Foxes head coach Cooper previously gave Skipp his England debuts at under-17 and under-18 level, at the ages of 15 and 16 respectively, and Leicester have been leading the race for the midfielder in recent days, now set to see their efforts come to fruition.

Coincidentally, Tottenham are visiting Leicester for their first fixture of the Premier League season on Monday as well.

READ NEXT ➡️ Seven sensational Tottenham teenagers who could end up saving Levy millions in the market

Tottenham transfer deja-vu

As a midfielder who came through the Tottenham academy and is now being sold to Leicester, Skipp will be following in the footsteps of Harry Winks, who helped the Foxes win promotion as Championship winners in his debut season at the King Power Stadium.

Winks is expected to play against Tottenham for the first time since his exit on Monday, but Skipp’s proposed transfer will not go through in time for his debut to be against the club he will have just left.

Skipp is on course to be Leicester’s sixth new signing since they returned to the Premier League. They have already brought in forward Bobby Decordova-Reid from Fulham, young midfielder Michael Golding from Chelsea, defender Caleb Okoli from Atalanta and attacking midfielder Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton, as well as converting winger Abdul Fatawu’s loan from Sporting CP into a permanent move.

They have, though, lost the services of midfielders Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who followed head coach Enzo Maresca to Chelsea, and Dennis Praet, who was released at the end of his contract.

In Skipp, they could seal a trustworthy reinforcement in the middle of the park.

Tottenham are reportedly in talks to complete the signing of a new right-back in the wake of Emerson Royal’s exit for AC Milan, with the structure of their offer potentially key to getting a deal done – but comments from Ange Postecoglou have suggested a different solution.

Of the options that were available to Postecoglou at right-back last season, Pedro Porro is the only one that remains at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Emerson was recently sold to Milan, which potentially opens up a vacancy for a new signing to replace him.

On that front, Tottenham were recently tipped to replace a Brazilian with a Brazilian by moving for Monaco’s Vanderson – and more recent updates imply they are preparing an offer for the 23-year-old.

According to Bruno Andrade, Tottenham are preparing an opening offer of €32m (£27.3m) for Vanderson after opening talks with his current employers, who have him under contract until 2028 thanks to an extension they agreed back in February.

While Spurs are willing to pay more to sign Vanderson than what they received for Emerson, it still might not be enough to tempt Monaco, whose asking price is €40m (£34.1m).

Nevertheless, Andrade claims Tottenham’s offer will contain performance-based add-ons. That said, it hasn’t been clarified if those add-ons would take the bid up to the €40m mark or not.

Besides, sources closer to the Premier League club suggested the original news of Tottenham’s interest in Vanderson – also broken by Andrade – was being driven by agents, so it’s interesting to see rumours of developments in the saga.

Furthermore, Tottenham could already have other solutions at their disposal that Postecoglou couldn’t rely on last season.

Postecoglou opens door for existing Tottenham man

For example, new signing Archie Gray is naturally a central midfielder but often operated at right-back for Leeds United in 2023-24.

It is another former Leeds full-back, though, that Postecoglou has offered a somewhat-unexpected second chance to, with the Tottenham boss recently opening the door for Djed Spence to make a comeback.

Spence signed for Tottenham in 2022, but has struggled to convince his managers and has spent time on loan at Rennes, Leeds and, most recently, Genoa.

Talks for a permanent move to Genoa collapsed and Postecoglou has now presented Spence with the opportunity of making amends in north London.

Postecoglou said: “It’s one of those things that when you start pre-season, we had quite a few guys who were out on loan last year. Part of me is saying, OK, we need to keep evolving this squad. The guys go out on loan for a reason.

“Have they come back [and now] are they a better fit, are they part of what we’re doing?

“With Djed, I had an open mind. I certainly think the kind of characteristics he has would fit into our football. It’s then more about, OK, well he obviously didn’t fit last year, will he fit this year?

“He’s had a good pre-season. He’s trained really well. He seems to have fit into the group really well.”

Spence has previously been questioned for alleged attitude issues, which Postecoglou himself has not yet seen evidence of being accurate.

The manager rebutted: “You would know about it if it was. He wouldn’t be part of it if it was. But that’s probably something that, whether that was right or wrong, as a person and as a player, Djed has taken responsibility for that and not allowed that to be part of the conversation this pre-season.

“For me and all the coaches, we’ve had absolutely zero issues with his attitude. He’s trained really well, he’s fit into the group really well. That’s on him. He’s the one who hasn’t allowed it to become an issue.”

How Spence might play for Spurs this season

And with Tottenham back in Europe this season, starting out in the league phase of the Europa League, Postecoglou has hinted Spence could become a useful rotation option on either flank of the defence – but primarily his natural right-hand side.

The Australian tactician explained: “I don’t think left-back is his obvious position, I think he’s more of a right full-back, but the fact that he can play out on the left, again gives us some good options into the season where with European football we’re going to have more challenges.

“It was quite obvious last year that whenever we had disruptions in terms of injuries or suspensions, our performance dropped a fair bit. We’re trying to narrow that gap.

“Hopefully having Djed as part of our squad allows us to do that. He’s training well, he’s available for Monday and I’ll make those decisions at the weekend.”

Monday’s season opener for Tottenham, which Postecoglou was speaking in view of, will be against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

Two pundits have named the signing who could make all the difference for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham this season amid suggestions that Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all made a mistake not pursuing a deal themselves.

Affable Aussie coach Postecoglou will be hoping this season is one to remember for Spurs, who started like a train under his management last season before injuries and suspensions caught up with them over a difficult autumn and winter and ultimately led to Tottenham claiming a fifth-placed finish.

Hopes will burn bright that Spurs can at least go one better this time around and seal a return to the Champions League. Postecoglou, though, has made clear his ambitions to go even better, refusing to rule his side out of the title race at one stage last season and also making clear his aims at ending the club’s long wait to win a trophy.

DON’T MISS ➡️ Ange Postecoglou eyes £20m Tottenham transfer for midfield star who rejected Arsenal

To set them on the right path, Spurs have invested shrewdly this summer, bringing in teenager Archie Gray from Leeds in a £40m deal, Timo Werner back to the club on another season’s loan and having already done a deal for Swedish talent Lucas Bergvall prior to the summer’s window opening.

However, their biggest and most prominent signing came last weekend when they moved to secure the signing of striker Dominic Solanke, who has moved to north London in a club-record deal from Bournemouth worth £65m.

That transfer came about after Spurs moved to trigger the 26-year-old’s exit clause and off the back of a brilliant season with the Cherries, where he scored 19 goals in 38 appearances.

That ensured he was the second highest goalscoring Englishman in the Premier League behind only Cole Palmer.

Solanke can prove difference maker for Tottenham

And with Spurs finally settling on a new striker to replace Harry Kane, many believe Solanke can prove the missing ingredient for Tottenham this season.

To that end, Owen Hargreaves, speaking to Premier League Productions, is surprised Tottenham were able to sign the once-capped England striker unchallenged, suggesting the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd could all have benefited from the 85-goal former Chelsea and Liverpool striker in their ranks.

“I love Solanke. I’m amazed that nobody else came in for him,” Hargreaves said when asked about other top Premier League sides and their needs for a new striker.

“I think he’s the perfect centre-forward player. We mention size, speed, he has skill, he knows the Premier League, I think he will only get better and I think he will score more than he did against Bournemouth.

“If he starts well I think he could even compete for the Golden Boot.”

Former Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov also believes Solanke will score a hatful of goals in north London, and asked if he will be the difference maker for Postecoglou this season.

“We will find out, but he scored 19 goals last season in 38 games. It’s a great thing to do. Hopefully he will bring that form into Spurs to help them score goals because they need to be scoring goals, not leaking goals,” Berbatov said.

IN DEPTH ➡️ All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the summer 2024 transfer window

“Hopefully they start on the right foot and keep going upwards. Dominic can help them because he is 26, he’s tall, he’s athletic, he scores goals.

“He can shoot the ball, he scores some really good goals for a striker and he can bring that quality up front that Spurs need.”

Tottenham open their season with a trip to face Leicester City on Monday evening (20.00 BST), with Postecoglou confident his new striker will be fit enough to make his debut at the King Power Stadium.

Brighton have agreed personal terms with a Manchester United target and talks are advancing to complete the deal, while a separate Tottenham transfer could quickly take shape if Brighton get their man.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed Brighton had struck an agreement on personal terms with Fenerbahce left-back, Ferdi Kadioglu.

Taking to X, Romano stated: “Ferdi Kadioglu’s long term deal at Brighton is ready and agreed in details.

“The player has confirmed to Fenerbahce personal terms are in place with Brighton. He wants to play in [the] Premier League and the two clubs are in talks to agree on transfer fee.”

Various reports in Turkey have since reported Man Utd have entered the race for Kadioglu despite Brighton’s move being advanced.

The Red Devils are seeking to sign a new left-back once they’ve wrapped up a move for a long-term partner for Kobbie Mainoo.

PSG’s Manuel Ugarte remains their No 1 target and the latest on that chase suggests a breakthrough is coming.

HAVE YOU SEEN: Man Utd to push through their second biggest signing of the summer, as Dan Ashworth plots more Liverpool misery

Whether Man Utd hold genuine hopes of hijacking Brighton’s deal with Kadioglu isn’t yet clear. The vast bulk of reporting on United’s interest has come from Turkey and not publications in England.

Kadioglu transfer to spark Tottenham sale

In any case, what is clear is Brighton hope to secure a club-to-club agreement with Fenerbahce in the coming days. The Turkish giant value Kadioglu in the €35m-€40m range.

Assuming Kadioglu does leave Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, a connected Tottenham move could quickly take shape.

Multiple reports in Turkey state Mourinho has installed Spurs left-back Sergio Reguilon as his preferred option to replace Kadioglu

Reguilon is in the final year of his Tottenham contract and is surplus to requirements in north London.

Barcelona have shown interest and have made enquiries into the conditions of a deal. Reguilon’s former club Sevilla are hovering too.

However, Mourinho is reportedly determined to bring Reguilon to Turkey and the promise of being a guaranteed starter in a team that regularly challenges for the Super Lig title could appeal.

Tottenham are reportedly planning a £20m move for an in-demand midfielder who once snubbed the chance to join north London rivals Arsenal.

After a fifth-place finish last time out in the Premier League, Tottenham are making some exciting signings ahead of the new campaign.

Leeds United’s academy jewel Archie Gray joined for a fee that could rise to £40m, Spurs splashed out £65m on Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, and winger Wilson Odobert swapped Burnley for Ange Postecoglou’s side for a fee in the region of £25m.

Coupled with recruiting midfielders Lucas Bergvall from Djurgarden and Yang Min-Hyeok from Gangwon FC respectively; Spurs seem to be shaping up nicely for 2024/25.

On the flip side, they have seen a number of players leave permanently, such as Emerson Royal, Ivan Perisic, Tanguy Ndombele, Joe Rodon, and Eric Dier, or on loan – such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bryan Gil.

DON’T MISS: Exclusive: Star Tottenham are eager to sell wanted by Roma as Paulo Dybala replacement

While many of these were on the fringes, some were still options to come off the bench. And if they want to progress up the league table this term, more quality additions may be needed.

On Thursday, manager Postecoglou said on the possibility of more deals: “Look, I think while it’s open there’s always kind of a little bit uncertainty about because there are so many moving parts to it, you know, it’s not just, there’s outgoings and incomings.

“As opposed to last year where there was a lot more moving parts, you’re working within a sort of smaller spectrum of uncertainty, certainly for me, anyway, that I can plan for the season knowing that the bulk of the work’s been done.

“Whatever we get from here on in is not going to disrupt us too much, both incoming and outgoing. So from that perspective, I think I said after the weekend I still expect there will be activity, but I think the uncertainty factor is a lot less than last year.”

Tottenham eye Juventus star

And according to Football Insider, Spurs are plotting to sign Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli this summer, although several other Premier League clubs are understood to be tracking him, too.

The report adds Postecoglou wants another central midfielder before the transfer window shuts on August 30 and the 26-year-old, who can play as an eight or a six, is on the club’s target list.

The Old Lady would reportedly be willing to sell the Italy international for £20m – but the fact that he has four years left on his contract puts the Serie A team in a strong negotiating position.

If Tottenham were to sign Locatelli, who made 40 appearances for Juventus last season, it may be hard to take for some Arsenal fans. That’s because the 6ft 1in player turned down the Gunners for Juventus back in 2021, according to Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali.

Locatelli joined the Italian giants for a fee in the region of £30m, initially on a two-year loan with an obligation to buy. But it could have been very different if he decided to go to the Emirates instead.

Carnevali said earlier this year: “The economic side of a transfer is important, but not decisive. For example, Locatelli absolutely wanted to go to Juventus, we satisfied him even though we gave up the financial aspect because there was interest from another club, Arsenal.”

Locatelli’s brother, Mattia, added: “I still remember the negotiation (that took him to Juventus). For him it was very long. There was also Arsenal, but he wanted Juventus. The clubs kept meeting, but without reaching an agreement. Every day I looked at Gazzetta dello Sport to check (what was happening).”

Fast forward to the present and Arsenal’s loss may be Tottenham’s gain.

Roma are preparing for life without star man Paulo Dybala and have identified Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Giovani Lo Celso as a potential replacement, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.

Dybala’s successful seven-year spell with Juventus came to an end in July 2022 when he left on a free transfer following a contract dispute. The forward subsequently joined Juve’s Serie A rivals Roma in a transfer which received much fanfare.

Dybala has gone on to register 34 goals and 18 assists in 77 games for Roma and establish himself as one of the club’s most important stars.

Indeed, the Argentine notched 16 goals and 10 assists in 39 matches last term, helping Roma reach the Europa League semi-finals, the Coppa Italia quarter-finals and finish sixth in the Italian top flight.

DON’T MISS: Tantalising Tottenham XI to lead Postecoglou to promised land and end 16-year trophy wait

However, Dybala looks set to leave Roma in the coming days. Saudi club Al-Qadisiyah have agreed to pay €18million (£15.3m) for Dybala and have also finalised a three-year contract with the star worth €45m (£38.3m).

Roma are now scouring the market for playmakers who can succeed from Dybala, and sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Fraser Gillan that Tottenham’s Lo Celso is one option they have shortlisted.

Tottenham are very keen to offload the 28-year-old permanently to make room in the squad and also bring in transfer funds, a stance which has alerted Roma to Lo Celso’s availability.

Daniele De Rossi’s side are far from the only ones interested in Lo Celso, however. Lo Celso also has potential suitors in La Liga and Saudi Arabia, while other Serie A clubs are monitoring his situation, too.

Tottenham transfers: Giovani Lo Celso a Roma target

Roma will therefore need to send both Spurs and Lo Celso tempting offers if they are to win this particular transfer race.

Should the Rosario-born ace – who is an Argentine compatriot of Dybala’s – leave for Roma, then he will become the latest unwanted player to depart Ange Postecoglou’s squad.

Spurs have already streamlined their ranks by letting players such as Emerson Royal, Joe Rodon, Tanguy Ndombele, Japhet Tanganga and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg go.

Experienced defender Ben Davies has also been tipped to find a new club, though it was claimed on Wednesday that he would rather stay with Spurs for the final year of his contract.

Tottenham have officially announced the signing of talented Burnley star Wilson Odobert after the 19-year-old completed a medical with the North Londoners on Thursday.

He is set to become Spurs’ fifth signing of the season after Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Dominic Solanke and Min-hyeok Yang in what could prove to be excellent business.

The transfer comes as a major shock Tottenham’s interest in the player was only reported 30 minutes before the announcement, by journalist Sacho Tavolieri.

“We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement for the permanent transfer of Wilson Odobert from Burnley, subject to formalities,” Tottenham posted on their official X page.

Odobert can play as an attacking midfielder or winger and put in some impressive performances in the Premier League last season, despite Burnley suffering relegation.

The teenager scored in the Lancashire side’s Championship opener against Luton Town on Monday night but is now set to complete the surprise move to Tottenham.

Tottenham join race for Piero Hincapie

Odobert will compete with the likes of Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison this season and has the potential to develop into a top quality player.

Tottenham’s business won’t stop there, however, as Postecoglou is reportedly keen to bring in a new centre-back.

Ecuadorian outlet El Comercio claim that Tottenham are set to join the race for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie.

The 22-year-old played a key role in Leverkusen’s title-winning 2023/24 campaign. He made 43 appearances for the German champions last term, helping his side to 20 clean sheets in the process.

Bayern Munich and Liverpool have also shown an interest in Hincapie, but they will ‘have to fight’ to beat Spurs to his signature.

Hincapie’s deal with Leverkusen is valid until 2027. The report states Xabi Alonso has held talks with the player and ‘asked him to stay.’

It’s suggested that Hincapie is valued at around £65m and whether Spurs are willing to cough up that much still remains to be seen.

Postecoglou already has quality options such as Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin at centre-back.

However, reports have suggested that Romero could leave the North Londoners after this season, so Hincapie could be brought in as a long-term replacement for him.

It will be interesting to see how this story progresses in the coming days and also, whether Odobert is in Tottenham’s squad for their game against Leicester on Monday.

Tottenham Hotspur have been urged by one of their former players to keep Cristian Romero at all costs, even if a club such as Real Madrid comes in with a major bid for the star.

Romero spent time at Belgrano, Genoa, Juventus and Atalanta before arriving at Tottenham in August 2021. The centre-back joined Tottenham on a season-long loan which then became permanent for £42million a year later.

Overall, Romero has 98 appearances for Tottenham and chipped in with six goals and one assist.

The Argentina international can be rash at times and has a tendency to pick up red cards, though Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou seems to know how to get the best out of him.

DON’T MISS: All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the summer 2024 transfer window

When fit, Romero and Micky van de Ven are Postecoglou’s first-choice pairing in central defence. They are one of the most formidable defensive partnerships in the Premier League, too.

Unfortunately for Spurs, both players have been earmarked as possible Real Madrid players in the future, due to their massive talent.

Indeed, earlier this month it was claimed that Madrid have drawn up an opening €50m (£42.6m) offer for Romero. Separate reports have claimed Spurs want a whopping £150m before agreeing to sell.

Ex-Spurs player Alan Hutton, who played 66 times for the club between January 2008 and August 2011, has now given his verdict on Romero’s situation.

Tottenham latest: Club must keep Cristian Romero

The former right-back has called it an ‘absolute nightmare’ if Spurs were to sell the 26-year-old, while also claiming he is worth £70m or more.

“I think the fee would be huge”, Hutton said in an interview with Football Insider.

“If you think about what Crystal Palace want for Marc Guehi, around £70m, I know he’s young and he’s had a brilliant Euros, I really like him as a player…

“I know Romero can be rash at times, that is what it is, but I think for what he does, his recovery tackles, he just suits Tottenham.

“I think they’d be talking about that same mark (£70m) and if they don’t hit that I don’t think they’ll want to sell.

“He’s such an important player for Tottenham next to Van De Ven, I think they complement each other.

“To lose Romero at this stage of the transfer window going into the first game of the season would be an absolute nightmare for the manager.”

Romero is expected to start when Spurs get their campaign up and running with a trip to Leicester City on Monday night.

Summer signings Dominic Solanke and Archie Gray could both feature, though it remains to be seen how much trust Postecoglou will put in fellow new arrival Lucas Bergvall.

Tottenham could sign another striker after Dominic Solanke, with a potential move for Lille star Jonathan David on the cards, according to reports.

Spurs will hope to break back into the top four this season and having a prolific centre-forward like Solanke could make all the difference for the London side.

The former Liverpool man bagged an impressive 19 goals for Bournemouth in the Premier League last season and he could be the Harry Kane replacement supporters have been crying out for.

But reports suggest that Ange Postecoglou is keen to bring in more competition for Solanke before the transfer window slams shut.

Tottenham have been heavily linked with David for several months and he is ready to leave Lille to pursue a new challenge elsewhere.

The Canadian international has less than a year remaining on his contract and isn’t expected to sign an extension, meaning Lille could cash in on him in the next couple of weeks.

A number of clubs are interested in the forward but Spurs’ long-standing interest in him gives them an advantage in the race.

Tottenham keen on exit-linked Ligue 1 forward

According to Ouste-France, Tottenham are one of the clubs in the race to sign David this summer.

The North Londoners are said to be ‘very interested’ in signing the 24-year-old, but they are ‘running out of time’ and will have to ‘work harder’ to get a deal done.

Lille president Olivier Letang refused to rule out that David could leave in the coming weeks in a recent interview, but there is a chance he could stay too.

“I’m not going to make promises today that I can’t keep, but it’s true that the further we go, the more likely it is that we’ll keep him with us,” he told RMC Sport.

“I said last week that he could leave if, and only if, we were able to replace him.

“The closer we get to the end of the window, the more complicated it is to find a top-quality striker like Jonathan.

“We have the capacity to keep him, because we’re not under pressure from a financial point of view. We’re very happy to have him. He’s very happy to be with us, very happy to be at the club, very happy with what he’s experiencing. I’d say anything is possible.”

David notched 26 goals and nine assists in 47 appearances last season and could prove to be a valuable addition for Tottenham.

It will be interesting to see if Spurs do launch a concrete offer for David in the coming weeks. Reports suggest he is valued at around £25m.