Ashley Phillips’ proposed exit from Tottenham Hotspur has seemingly hit a roadblock just as it appeared to be a done deal.
Spurs have already cashed in on several of their young starlets this summer, with Luka Vuskovic, Tynan Thompson, Alfie Devine and Will Lankshear all sealing exits from N17.
It appeared as if Phillips was set to join Will Lankshear at the Riverside Stadium to aid Boro’s quest for promotion.
Sources even said that Boro had agreed to pay Spurs an initial £7m plus £13m in add-ons for the centre-back, but there has now been a twist in the tale.
Middlesbrough’s pursuit of Tottenham’s Ashley Phillips has been ‘paused’
The Northern Echo now report that just as Phillips was closing in on a switch to Boro, the deal has now been ‘paused’ by the clubs.
The Championship club had agreed to pay an initial fee of around £7m and were ready to sign off on a series of potential add-ons, but the deal has now ground to a halt without a final agreement.
In fact, the centre-back even visited Boro’s Rockliffe Park training ground at the end of last week with the expectation that a transfer would be finalised over the weekend.
However, as the situation developed over the last couple of days, all three parties have decided to pause discussions, with some elements of the proposed transfer yet to be completed.
Phillips’ move to Boro is not yet off
The Northern Echo make it clear that despite the pause in negotiations between the two clubs, a deal to take Phillips to Boro is not yet off.
The Championship side are expected to hold further talks with the 21-year-old and his representatives, as well as the Spurs hierarchy, over the coming days.
However, it will be interesting to see if this delay has opened up an opportunity for other clubs to potentially hijack a deal for Phillips, who has been one of the best young defenders in the Championship over recent years.