Exclusive: Tottenham initiate contact over signing of lethal £60m striker, with star keen on transfer

Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke is keen on a move to Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou’s side are hopeful they can circumnavigate his £65m release clause, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.

The 6ft 2in forward has rebuilt his career after failing to make the grade at Chelsea, a club he was at between the ages of seven and 19, and then flattering to deceive at Liverpool.

He made just one appearance for the Blues’ first-team and then scored a solitary goal in 27 games for the Reds, before signing for Bournemouth in 2019 for a sizeable £19m.

It took time for Solanke to find his feet at the Cherries, with the one-cap England international netting on just four occasions in his opening 46 matches in all competitions.

However, he came alive when the Dorset outfit dropped to the Championship. In the 2020/21 campaign, Solanke scored 15 goals and the following season he doubled his tally as Bournemouth were promoted back to the Premier League.

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Although his seven goals in 35 matches didn’t set the world alight on their return to the English top-flight in 2023/23, it was enough to keep the Cherries in the league – before he exploded into life last term.

Solanke was tied in fourth with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Manchester City’s Phil Foden for Premier League goals scored (19), with only Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (21), Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (22), and City’s Erling Haaland (27) outscoring him.

The former Vitesse loanee, who scored 21 goals and notched four assists in all competitions in 2023/24, has been linked with Chelsea and Arsenal, but Spurs’ interest is the most concrete.

Postecoglou’s side have been on the lookout for a new number nine after struggling to replace the goals left by Harry Kane following his move to Bayern Munich last summer.

Richarlison is yet to justify his £60m price tag and had it not been for Son Heung-min’s 17 goals last season, Tottenham would have been in all sorts of trouble.

Tottenham make Solanke their top target

While they have been linked with Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Lille’s Jonathan David, among others, TEAMtalk can reveal Solanke is Spurs’ ideal pick to lead their line for next season.

Our sources have confirmed he wants to move to the north London outfit and Tottenham have spoken to the 26-year-old’s agents.

READ MORE: Tottenham being hunted down by Man Utd, Arsenal as quartet ‘in talks’ to sign exhilarating attacker

Manager Postecoglou is also an admirer of Solanke, who caused stand-in centre-back duo Emerson Royal and Ben Davies all sorts of problems with his pace and movement when they faced off last December at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Although the striker has a £65m release clause – which only a handful of select, unnamed clubs can reportedly trigger – Tottenham believe £60m may be enough to secure his services.

Solanke has become a vital player for Bournemouth and they will want to keep onto their talisman, whose contract runs until the summer of 2027 at Vitality Stadium.