Tottenham finalise club-record Dominic Solanke deal as contract details emerge | Football | Sport
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly agreed a £65million deal for Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke – a club record fee for the north London outfit.
Spurs’ previous transfer record stood at £63m, paid to French side Lyon for the acquisition of Tanguy Ndombele in 2019.
That’s about to be broken though, with The Athletic reporting Solanke is poised to sign for Spurs, penning a six-year deal in the process.
The Englishman enjoyed a stellar campaign with Bournemouth last time around, netting 19 goals across 38 Premier League appearances for the Cherries.
Solanke was unfortunate not to have been picked for Gareth Southgate’s Euros squad, with Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins the only English players to have scored more goals last term.
However, his strong form appears enough to earn him a transfer to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while plugging a gap in Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI.
The Spurs boss revealed during pre-season that he and his team were working to add a centre-forward to the club’s ranks.
Speaking earlier in the summer, Postecoglou said: “What’s important is the type of striker we get. You know we play a certain way.
“We demand certain things from a physical perspective from the technical aspects of it that it’s going be a striker that fits that mould.
“It’s still the area of the park we’re really probably the thinnest when I talk about squad-wise at the moment, so obviously that’s a focus for us.”
There had been hope that Richarlison would step into the striker-shaped hole left behind by Harry Kane last season, but through a combination of injuries and bad form, things didn’t work out for the Brazil international.
Richarlison managed 11 goals in 28 appearances for Spurs – a respectable return, but nowhere near the volume required to lead the line for Tottenham.
Spurs’ summer isn’t expected to finish there though, with two more positions on the club’s transfer radar.
It’s claimed Tottenham will look to add reinforcements at left-back and on the wing before deadline day later this month.
Postecoglou will be hoping Solanke and any more new arrivals can help Spurs go one better and qualify for the Champions League.
Tottenham missed out on a spot in Europe’s premier club competition last time around, finishing two points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Their pursuit of a top-four finish begins a week on Monday when they travel to newly promoted Leicester City.