Tottenham Hotspur are expected to fully complete the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers right-back Matt Doherty after his return from holiday.
football.london broke the news earlier this week that Jose Mourinho had identified the 28-year-old as his top target at right-back and that Tottenham were looking to tie up a deal worth an initial £12million and then various add-ons.
The two clubs are believed to now be close to an agreement on that deal and football.london understands that Spurs are keen to wrap up the move completely before Doherty must meet up with his Republic of Ireland team-mates ahead of their Nations League game in Bulgaria on Thursday.
Doherty has been on holiday in Sardinia and was expected to return to the UK on Thursday afternoon, with Wolves' players having been recharged after only finished their campaign on August 11 with their Europa League quarter-final defeat to Sevilla.
With the defender's return to the country and with Italy being within a UK travel corridor and requiring no need for isolation, the deal can edge towards its conclusion with a medical for the player within the next 48 hours as well as the usual formalities taken care of.
The Republic of Ireland players are due to meet up on Sunday ahead of two days training before flying to Bulgaria on Tuesday.
However, Doherty may be given the opportunity to leave the camp before Tuesday and finalise the deal should it not be tied up by then.
Doherty ticks a lot of boxes for Mourinho and Spurs as one of the most creative right-backs in the Premier League in the past two seasons.
Despite being Irish, he he also counts as homegrown, having spent three years registered with Wolves before the end of the season when he turned 21, after moving from Bohemians as an 18-year-old.
Tottenham's targets thus far in this window have all followed a theme with three big personalities, with plenty of drive and strong opinions in the dressing room.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 25, joined from Southampton to fill the defensive midfield void in the squad.
Then 33-year-old Joe Hart joined on a free transfer to boost the experience Mourinho has among his goalkeeping options after the departure of Michel Vorm.
Tottenham are not done with their transfer business and are expected to address other key positions before the window closes in October, while looking to move on players to ensure they remain within their foreign player limits.
