Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has all but confirmed that the club will be signing Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus permanently in the summer.
The Sweden international has formed an effective attacking triumvirate with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min since his January arrival, taking no time at all to settle into life in the Premier League.
Kulusevski has scored three goals and set up eight more in 14 Premier League appearances for the top-four chasing Lilywhites, and his loan deal is due to run until the summer of 2023.
However, Tottenham are understood to possess the chance to trigger his £24.9m buyout clause this summer, and doing so before the 2022-23 season would lead to a cheaper deal.
Should Spurs opt against signing Kulusevski permanently this summer, they would supposedly have to pay £4.2m more in 2023 if the attacker plays at least 50% of their games and they secure Champions League qualification.
Conte is seemingly in no mood to wait that long, though, with the Italian confirming that Kulusevski is "100%" a Tottenham player in Thursday's press conference.
© Reuters
"He is on loan but it is like a deal, he is a Tottenham player 100% in every aspect. Not officially, but he is a 100% a Tottenham player," Conte told reporters, as quoted by football.london.
Kulusevski therefore prepares to leave Juventus after scoring nine goals and providing 10 assists in 74 games for the Old Lady, winning the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup since arriving in 2020.
Conte is giving no more thought to any more summer incomings, though, claiming that he has a "big" shopping list to give to the powers that be.
"We are totally focused on this season. Always because I repeat we are finishing this season with only 15 players. So it's not convenient right now to give them a list because it would be a big one," the Italian said.
The Tottenham boss was also asked for an injury update ahead of Saturday's meeting with Liverpool after Sergio Reguilon was ruled out of the win over Leicester City due to a groin problem.
In another blow to the top-four chasing Lilywhites, Conte has now conceded that the Spaniard could join Oliver Skipp, Japhet Tanganga and Matt Doherty in the treatment room for the rest of the campaign.
"Sergio Reguilon is not available. He hasn't had a training session with us. Honestly I don't know, it's only two weeks until the end of the season and I'm not sure if he'll be back," Conte added.
© Reuters
Tottenham head into Saturday's game with Liverpool knowing that a victory would see them temporarily rise back into the top four of the Premier League table before Arsenal return to action against Leeds United on Sunday.
However, with Jurgen Klopp's side also aiming to usurp Manchester City at the top of the pile, Conte believes that his team will need to match Liverpool's "200%" intensity levels to glean a result from Anfield.
"Jurgen Klopp is doing a great job with this team, especially for an English team to arrive at the end of the season to stay in the race for all the competitions you compete in, I think that it's incredible," Conte added.
"You can see Liverpool's players. They run a lot and they don't have many injuries. They're doing a fantastic job. Their enthusiasm is 200% and you don't feel fatigue at this point.
"We need to go there and play our game. We are in the race for a place in the Champions League and we have to find a way to get points in every game. We are playing against one of the best teams in the world away. We prepare like usual."
Following Saturday's game with Liverpool, Spurs prepare for a potentially season-defining North London derby with Arsenal before rounding off their campaign against Burnley and Norwich City.
Ben Knapton
