Tottenham have agreed to pay a club-record fee of around £65m for Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele. The 22-year-old France international will sign a five-year deal and is due to undergo a medical in the next few days.
Ndombele will become Tottenham’s first signing since the arrival of Lucas Moura in January 2018.
It would be a welcome boost for manager Mauricio Pochettino, who is spending the summer in Barcelona and waiting to see whether or not Spurs can deliver his targets.
BREAKING: Tottenham are close to agreeing a €62m deal for Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, reports @DiMarzio pic.twitter.com/nxXP0oDsaj
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 25, 2019
Spurs finished fourth in the Premier Leagueand reached the Champions League final despite making no signings last summer.
Ndombele has won four senior caps for France and this season provided three goals with eight assists in 49 competitive games for Lyon.
Speaking to French publication Telefoot last week, Ndombele said: “It’s true that Tottenham are a great team – a big club. They finished fourth in their league, they were finalists in the Champions League.
“They are a big club like many others. Which player would not be interested in a big club?”
Tanguy Ndombélé for Lyon during the 2018-19 Ligue 1 season:
• Most take-ons
• Most fouls won
• Most tacklesHe does everything. pic.twitter.com/hchgfMEogc
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 26, 2019
Ndombele had been on the radar of several other top European clubs, including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
For Tottenham, Ndombele is the replacement for Dembele who went to China in January. Spurs started scouting for his replacement during the 2017-18 season.
They have used the money they earned from their Champions League final run, meaning any more big transfers will need to be funded by departures.