Tottenham agree deal with Bournemouth to sign Dominic Solanke

By George Sessions, PA

Tottenham have reached an agreement with Bournemouth over the signing of forward Dominic Solanke, the PA news agency understands.

Spurs have been on the hunt for attacking reinforcements all summer and after Solanke emerged as the club’s preferred candidate, advanced talks began with the Cherries.

They have now accelerated and discussions over a fee were wrapped up on Friday afternoon with Tottenham set to spend an initial £55million on securing the services of Solanke, with a further £10m included in the deal as add-ons, PA understands.

One-cap England forward Solanke missed Bournemouth’s friendly win over Rayo Vallecano last Sunday with a minor foot injury, which only served to heighten scrutiny over his future.

Bournemouth owner Bill Foley had confirmed earlier this summer that Solanke’s current contract until 2027 included a release clause in the region of £65million and his anticipated exit will be a club-record sale for the Cherries.

Nathan Ake’s £40m transfer to Manchester City in 2020 was Bournemouth’s previous biggest departure.

Postecoglou gave the green light for Spurs to pursue Solanke after the best season of the 26-year-old’s career.

Solanke scored 21 goals in all competitions for Bournemouth across the 2023-24 campaign – including 19 in the Premier League – but also caught the eye with his impressing pressing statistics and link-up play for Andoni Iraola’s side.

His expected transfer to Tottenham will give Solanke another opportunity at a top-six club, after he progressed through Chelsea’s academy as a teenager before he departed for Liverpool in 2017.

While chances were limited for Solanke at Anfield, he has been a key figure in keeping Bournemouth in the Premier League during the past two seasons but is now eager to grasp what he views as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Postecoglou was tight-lipped on Solanke when he faced the media on Friday afternoon, but Iraola was more forthcoming and acknowledged he would be a “big miss” for Bournemouth.

“I expected this to be the first question! I know talks are ongoing,” Iraola told a press conference.

“For us, Dom is a very, very important player.

“Everyone focuses on the goals he scores. He scores a big percentage of our goals but he gives us much more than goals. He is very complete, he helps us in all the phases of the game. He would be a big miss, obviously.

“He scored a lot of goals but if this happens, it has happened in other positions, we have to trust the people inside the club. I am sure they will be ready.”

While Solanke will prepare for a medical at Tottenham, Bournemouth turn their attention to his replacement and PA understands they have been actively working on alternatives for Solanke under the proviso that he could leave after an impressive season.