Bournemouth have agreed to sell Dominic Solanke for a club record transfer fee and talks are underway with Tottenham Hotspur to finalise a deal for the striker.
Solanke has also reached agreement on his private life: the 26-year-old is keen to move to the North London club.
He is under contract with Bournemouth until 2029, The athlete As reported in June, the striker’s contract includes a £65 million ($83 million) release clause that can be exercised by certain clubs.
Spurs have not signed an experienced striker since Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich last summer.
Ange Postecoglou is keen to sign a number 9 player who fits his style of play and Solanke’s profile fits that bill.
“The important thing is what kind of striker we get,” said Postecoglou during Tottenham’s pre-season tour of Japan. “We play in a certain way. We demand certain things from a physical point of view and from a technical point of view, so that it is a striker who fits into that pattern.”
“That’s still the area of the park where we’re probably the thinnest in terms of manpower at the moment, so that’s obviously our focus.”
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Solanke recorded his best top-flight result last season, scoring 19 Premier League goals that helped Bournemouth finish 12th.
Solanke began his career at Chelsea before joining Liverpool on a free transfer in 2017.
He moved to Bournemouth in 2019 for an undisclosed transfer fee. The Merseyside club have a 20 percent sell-on clause in the deal and could receive up to £9 million if Spurs trigger his release clause.
Spurs have made two new signings so far this summer, with 18-year-old midfielders Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall joining from Leeds United and Djurgarden respectively. The north London club have also completed a deal to sign South Korean winger Yang Min-hyuk, who will join the squad in January.
Solanke was not selected for England’s Euro 2016 team. Ivan Toney of Brentford and Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa were chosen as Kane’s replacements.
Tottenham will start the 2024–25 Premier League season on August 19 against newly promoted Leicester City.
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