Southampton have accepted Everton's bid of up to £25million for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with the Toffees leapfrogging Tottenham in the race for the Denmark international.
The midfielder is now free to discuss personal terms with the Merseyside club.
Hojbjerg is understood to prefer a move to Jose Mourinho's Tottenham, though the north Londoners are lagging far behind Everton in their valuation of the 24-year-old at present.
Southampton had initially put a £35m price tag on their former captain, who was stripped of the armband after making clear his determination to leave.
However, with just 12 months left on his contract at St Mary's, Southampton have accepted a reduced fee.
Tottenham are also aware that Southampton want to bring loanee Kyle Walker-Peters to the club on a permanent deal, meaning the right-back could subsidise in part the outlay required for Hojbjerg.
Spurs have been tracking the former Bayern Munich midfielder since at least January as Mourinho looks to bolster his midfield options on a limited summer budget.
