Vincent Janssen confident of completing Tottenham move

08 July 2016 02:23

Holland forward Vincent Janssen expects to shortly complete a move from AZ Alkmaar to Tottenham, claiming the clubs are close to an agreement.

Spurs have made an offer of around £11million, but Dutch side AZ are holding out for closer to £17m, amid interest from the likes of Wolfsburg, Paris St Germain and recently West Ham.

Janssen, though, was keen to secure a transfer to White Hart Lane.

The 23-year-old was the top scorer in the Eredivisie last season with 27 goals and had been given permission to spend two days in London last month when he visited Spurs' training ground, meeting manager Mauricio Pochettino and discussing his plans for the future, while also settling on personal terms.

AZ, however, remain determined to secure closer to their asking price, and are keen for the structure of any payments to be up front rather than instalments.

The Dutch club this week completed the signing of striker Wout Weghorst from Heracles Almelo, which would appear to pave the way for Janssen's departure.

Janssen - who scored a penalty for Holland in their 2-1 win at Wembley in March - had returned for the start of pre-season training, but in an interview with local media suggested a deal was now close.

Quoted by Algemeen Dagblad, in an online article including photos of the player apparently saying his goodbyes at the training ground, Janssen confirmed: "I won't train with AZ any more. The clubs are now really close to an agreement. I will go home and wait for the phone call to go.

"I am glad that it is almost complete. For me it was clear from the beginning that I wanted to go to Spurs.

"The competition appeals to me and the plan of the coach is similar to the plan that AZ boss John van den Brom shared with me a year ago at AZ.

"It is a beautiful club with a fantastic stadium and heaps of potential. Anyone in my shoes would take this step."

Tottenham are aiming to reinforce their attacking options to help alleviate the pressure on main frontman Harry Kane ahead of a Champions League campaign.

Janssen is sure he can work alongside the England striker.

"Harry Kane? People can say what they want, but I am not afraid of (competition from) anybody. He is a great striker, but we naturally will see how it goes," the Dutch forward added.

"We can complement each other, I think I can learn a lot from him."

Pochettino has also bolstered his midfield following the signing of Victor Wanyama from his former club Southampton, and has been linked with a move for Newcastle's Georginio Wijnaldum.

Source: PA