Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly on the verge of smashing their transfer record, as a £65m deal has been agreed for Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke.
Having failed to capture a big-money replacement for all-time top scorer Harry Kane last year, signing a prolific centre-forward was of the utmost importance to the Lilywhites this summer.
Ange Postecoglou confirmed as such during a recent press conference, and after whittling down their list of ideal candidates, Tottenham settled on Solanke as an ideal acquisition.
The ex-Liverpool and Chelsea man struck an eye-catching 19 goals in 38 Premier League contests during the 2023-24 season, form which led to calls for his inclusion in the England squad.
Those pleas fell on deaf ears, but Solanke still attracted the attention of several of Bournemouth's top-flight rivals, namely ex-club Chelsea and Spurs' North London rivals Arsenal.
Solanke to sign six-year Tottenham deal?
© Imago
Solanke's Cherries contract still runs for another three years, but his terms include a £65m release clause that can be triggered by a certain calibre of clubs, thought to be the Big Six and European-competing teams.
Following claims that Spurs were advancing in talks to sign Solanke, Fabrizio Romano claims that an agreement has been reached with Bournemouth, who will receive the full £65m for his sale if all add-ons are hit.
That fee will eclipse the £55m that Tottenham paid Lyon for Tanguy Ndombele - their current all-time record signing - in 2019, while Bournemouth will also make a club-record sale.
The 2020 transfer of Nathan Ake to Manchester City for £38.8m represents the Cherries' biggest sale to date, but Solanke's exit is expected to be sealed within the next couple of days.
The Basingstoke-born striker has supposedly given the green light to a six-year contract with Postecoglou's side until 2030, and he will soon travel to undergo his Lilywhites medical.
🚨⚪️ Dominic Solanke to Tottenham, here we go! Deal agreed for £65m package add-ons included, record fee.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 9, 2024
Solanke set to travel for medical after contract until June 2030 agreed days ago.
Exclusive story from last week, confirmed. ✍🏻 pic.twitter.com/TegCCkbLmZ
Solanke will leave Bournemouth with a record of 77 goals and 31 assists from 216 matches since joining from Liverpool, who will pocket around £10m thanks to a sell-on clause.
What will Solanke bring to Tottenham?
A physical attacking presence at 6ft 1in tall, only three players netted more Premier League goals than Solanke's 19 last season; Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and Alexander Isak.
None of Solanke's statistics truly stand out against the top strikers on the planet, although he does rank in the 89th percentile for goals per shots on target over the past 365 days with 0.49.
While the Englishman can therefore finish ruthlessly when he finds the mark, only one-third of his shots over the past year have been on target, although Postecoglou supposedly still believes that he has all the attributes to shine as Spurs' attacking spearhead.
Ben Knapton
