Tottenham Hotspur are expecting to wrap up a deal for Blackburn Rovers central defender Ashley Phillips this weekend, according to The Athletic.
Spurs had previously assumed they had reached a deal with the Championship side last month and had even booked his medical, only for Blackburn to move the goalposts and try to extract more money from Tottenham by demanding an initial £5m fee plus £4.5m in add-ons.
Spurs on verge of deal for Ashley Phillips
Blackburn’s decision now appears to have backfired on them due to a release clause in Phillips’ contract allowing him to leave for a £2million fee with the period for other clubs to submit their bid ending on Friday.
Tottenham are also said to be closing in on a deal for Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven with the two clubs close to reaching a deal for the Dutch Under-21 international after weeks of speculation (Fabrizio Romano).
Despite looking to get a deal over the line for Phillips, Tottenham are attempting to bring in two central defenders to bolster Ange Postecoglou‘s defensive options.
SpursWeb Opinion
Phillips is regarded as one for the future and for a £2m fee, it could prove to be a bargain in the future. However, for the time being the focus among many fans is on the club to try to secure a deal not only for van de Ven, but also for another senior defender wo can improve the starting eleven and allow the likes of Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga to head of out of the exit in N17 on a permanent basis.
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