English goalkeeper Fraser Forster is reportedly set to undergo a medical at Tottenham Hotspur as his Southampton contract comes to an end.
Daily Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath has claimed that Fraser Forster is set for a Tottenham Hotspur medical this week. The 34-year-old’s contract with Southampton is due to expire next month, which would leave him free to join any other side on a Bosman deal.
Forster’s eight-year association with Southampton is coming to an end. During this time, he also spent a year on loan with Celtic. In all, he has made 161 appearances for the Saints, keeping 55 clean sheets in the process.
The England international was Southampton’s first-choice shot-stopper for over three seasons, but Alex McCarthy dethroned him as the Saints’ number one midway through the 2017/18 season and that has been the case since. A hamstring injury to McCarthy this season meant the 34-year-old returned to the fold as he made 19 Premier League appearances.
Forster’s last match for Southampton was a 3-0 defeat to Brentford, with the 32-year-old McCarthy reinstated in the starting XI following recovery from injury. With no contract renewal in sight, Forster seems set to join Tottenham on a free deal, and he is expected to play second fiddle to club captain Hugo Lloris at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham finished the season strongly to secure a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League. They pipped Arsenal in the top-four race and now have an important summer coming up. With Pierluigi Gollini unlikely to remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after his loan deal expires, the Lilywhites were in the market for a new goalkeeper.
Sam Johnstone of West Bromwich Albion had also been linked heavily with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a Bosman deal. However, it seems like the north London giants have narrowed in on Forster as their option, with the England international set to undergo his medical this week to finalise a free transfer.
Tottenham have recently been linked with a move for Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic, whose contract is set to run down next month as well. Antonio Conte managed Perisic during his most recent stint in the Serie A, where he won the Scudetto with the Nerazzurri to end Juventus’s hegemony in the Italian top-flight.