Tottenham target agrees move with ‘huge coup’ serving up lucrative terms

A Tottenham target courted closely be Fabio Paratici has agreed a lucrative deal with his next club, though he won’t be joining Spurs, per a report.

In late-December, ESPN reported Tottenham had set their sights on acquiring Lorenzo Insigne. The forward, 30, is in the final year of his contract in Naples. Antonio Conte was stated to be ‘tracking’ his fellow countryman, while Paratici was described as courting him closely.

A pre-contract agreement ahead of a free agent arrival in the summer was on the agenda. However, surprisingly stiff competition soon emerged from MLS.

Toronto FC threw their hat into the ring, with their willingness to go above and beyond in both the salary and length of contract departments proving a genuine threat to Tottenham.

Now, according to the Guardian, Toronto have indeed won the race. They report Insigne has ‘agreed a deal to join Toronto this summer’.

Insigne will reportedly be handed a five-and-a-half-year deal in Canada worth a ‘basic wage’ of €11m-per-year. There is also reportedly scope for a further €5m in add-ons.

The deal is termed a ‘huge coup’ for Toronto who finished second-bottom in the MLS Easter Conference last season.

Spurs miss out on Lorenzo Insigne as MLS move imminent

Lorenzo Insigne is close to signing a big money contract with MLS club Toronto FC as he blows off interest from Tottenham and Antonio Conte

Confirming the news on Twitter, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano added the deal is ‘done’ and there is now ‘no way back’.

An official announcement could arrive as early as today (Wednesday).

Tottenham, Arsenal hopes given timely boost

Meanwhile, both Tottenham and Arsenal have seemingly been given a boost to their hopes of signing Juventus attacker Dejan Kulusevski after the Swede decided against a move to Sevilla.

Calciomercato reports that the north London duo have both had recent talks to sign the Juve star, who has struggled for game time under Max Allegri. Indeed, Kulusevski has only started four of his 21 appearances in all competitions – scoring once and adding three assists.

Calcio adds that Juventus want a fee in the region of £29million for the playmaker, who is contracted until 2025. Tottenham’s interest is no great surprise, given that sporting director Fabio Paratici signed Kulusevski for Juve.

That would appear to give them the edge over the Gunners. However, a recent report suggested that Conte prefers a deal for another Juve star, Weston McKennie, over Kulusevski.

As for Arsenal, Arteta is looking to add more firepower to his forward line, especially with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang poised to move on.

In total, Kulusevski has 18 goal involvements in 68 Juventus games. However, he has never really been given a consistent run in the side and the feeling is that a move away could be the turning point in his career. However, that move, per the report, will not be to Seville.

READ MORE: Tottenham receive bid as underwhelming star offered familiar transfer opportunity