Tottenham Hotspur are set to land Blackburn Rovers sensation Ashley Phillips for a mere £2 million
According to Evening Standard, Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on a summer deal for Blackburn Rovers starlet Ashley Phillips.
The 18-year-old is one of the best young players in his age group and will be an excellent addition to the Spurs Academy. The teenager is keen to make the move to North London and it would appear that the switch is just a matter of when rather than if.
Tottenham appeared to have wrapped up a deal for the youngster last month when they agreed a deal of around £3 million up-front and a further £2 million in add-ons. Phillips also travelled to London for a medical and an agreement appeared all but done.
Blackburn Rovers then threw a wrench in the works when they shifted goalposts in the penultimate hour, demanding an initial £5 million fee plus £4.5 million in bonuses. But any hope the Championship side had of inciting a bidding war fell on deaf ears and Tottenham remain the only side in the fray.
In fact, this delay has worked in Tottenham’s favour as they can secure the 18-year-old for a mere £2m. Phillips’s low release clause becomes active this Friday as the Championship season draws near. Daniel Levy sure loves himself a bargain and the Phillips deal is right up his alley, even if it is Blackburn who shot themselves in the foot.
All hope is not lost for Blackburn, who are keen to include bonuses in the deal, potentially taking the worth of the transfer to £6.5 million should all the criteria be met. These clauses are related to appearances and international caps won. If the centre-back does go on to achieve big things, Tottenham should not have too many issues forking out the aforementioned bonuses.
Phillips is far from ready for the first team and will need some time and development to do before being thrown into the far end. The teenager is a giant of a player with good physicality to boot. He is also adept on the ball and has the hallmarks of developing into a top flight regular.
Tottenham are eyeing a centre-back this summer and have been linked with Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven. As things stand, signing Phillips is unlikely to impact the club’s pursuit of a senior addition.
