Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £55million (€60m) deal for Real Betis star Giovani Lo Celso, according to reports.
The Argentina international has emerged as Spurs' top target in recent weeks, with the north London club looking to sign a goalscoring midfielder before the transfer window closes.
They have been in negotiations with Betis for several months, and the Daily Record now report that they have finally reached an agreement with the La Liga club.
According to the publication, the Premier League club will pay an initial fee of £47.5m (€52m) for the 23-year-old, with a further £7.3m (€8m) to be paid in performance-based add-ons.
It is claimed that Spurs view Lo Celso as the natural long-term successor to Denmark international Christian Eriksen, who recently entered the final year of his contract and has expressed interest in a move away from the London club.
The Betis midfielder, who is understood to have a £88m release clause, impressed in La Liga last season, scoring nine goals and providing five assists in 32 appearances.
If the move does go through, the South American will follow Tanguy Ndombele and Jack Clarke to north London, with the pair recently completing moves from Lyon and Leeds United respectively.
Spurs have also been linked with Sporting Lisbon star Bruno Fernandes and reportedly sent two officials to Lisbon last week to negotiate a deal for the Portugal international.
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Dele Alli will miss start of the Premier League season due to a recurring hamstring injury.
The England international, 23, didn't feature in the club's final pre-season friendly against Inter Milan on Sunday and Pochettino admitted he is concerned about the midfielder's health.
“I don’t believe he’s going to be ready for the start of the season,” said Pochettino.
“I think it’s the same area [as last season]. Of course we are worried. He’s still so young, just 23 years old and there are many, many hamstring problems in the last few years.
“It’s to pay attention a little bit to what is going on in his body, but we are here to try to help him. I think it’s a minor injury – we hope it’s only a few weeks before he can be available again.”
