Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus have reportedly reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Swedish attacker Dejan Kulusevski.
The 23-year-old made a name for himself in the Premier League during an 18-month loan spell at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign.
Upon arriving in the English capital for the second half of the 2021-22 season, Kulusevski scored five goals and set up eight more in 18 Premier League matches to help Spurs qualify for the Champions League under Antonio Conte.
The Scandinavian's influence waned during an injury-hit 2022-23 season, but he still set up seven goals in 30 top-flight outings, while finding the back of the net a further two times.
Tottenham would have been obligated to sign Kulusevski permanently had they ended the season in the top four, but with the Lilywhites mustering an eighth-placed finish, they only had the option to buy the 23-year-old.
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Despite their failure to qualify for Europe, Tottenham were expected to keep Kulusevski on the books, and journalist Fabrizio Romano now reports that a deal has been agreed with Juventus.
The option-to-buy clause in Kulusevski's contract was reportedly set at €35m (£29.9m), but Tottenham have managed to negotiate a cheaper fee due to the fact that the Swede only has one year left on his Juventus deal.
Romano adds that Spurs will instead pay €30m (£25.7m) for Kulusevski's services, and the former Atalanta BC youngster has agreed to a four-year deal in North London until the summer of 2027.
Tottenham could apparently announce the return of Kulusevski within the next few days, as manager Ange Postecoglou prepares to welcome his first permanent signing to the club since taking charge.
During his productive loan spell, Kulusevski amassed a total of seven goals and 16 assists from 57 games in a Tottenham jersey, and he will bid farewell to Juve after an underwhelming three-and-a-half years.
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Kulusevski was on loan at Parma while Juve agreed a deal with Atalanta for his signature in January 2020, and he departs Turin having scored nine goals and set up 10 more in 74 games for the Bianconeri.
The 23-year-old has won one Coppa Italia and one Supercoppa Italiana during his time at the Allianz Stadium, and he was notably not named in Tottenham's announcement of their released and retained players.
In contrast, the Lilywhites have confirmed that Villarreal's Arnaut Danjuma and Barcelona's Clement Lenglet will depart when their loan deals expire this summer, while Lucas Moura will officially leave as a free agent at the end of the month.
Speculation over Harry Kane's future also continues to dominate the headlines, but with Daniel Levy digging his heels in over a fee, Manchester United have apparently ended their interest in the England captain.
Kane is only contracted to Tottenham until 2024, but Levy is thought to be demanding a nine-figure sum for the 29-year-old, who is also wanted by Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Ben Knapton
