Tottenham Hotspur look set to move on homegrown star Oliver Skipp in the coming days, ending a 16-year affiliation with the club as a result - with the midfielder set to make a move to Premier League outfit Leicester City after the two clubs agreed a fee for his services, according to The Athletic journalist David Ornstein.
Skipp came through Tottenham's academy and made his debut for the club in October 2018, just weeks after his 18th birthday - but despite a fleeting number of appearances here and there for the club, his 106 outings in all competitions has seen him on the peripherals of the squad. And Leicester have swooped to offer him first-team football in their bid to boost their ranks, according to Ornstein.
Oliver Skipp Set to Join Leicester City
The midfielder hasn't had a great deal of opportunities
The report from Ornstein states that Leicester have reached an agreement with Tottenham over the signing of academy graduate Skipp as they aim to bolster their ranks ahead of the Premier League season.
The 23-year-old has found first-team minutes hard to come by in recent years, making just five Premier League starts last time out in Ange Postecoglou's first campaign in the top-flight of English football and as a result, with Leicester set to embark on a new campaign with the visit of Tottenham to the King Power Stadium on Monday evening, a deal has been struck between the two clubs.
Skipp is set to undergo a medical in the East Midlands on Sunday before completing his permanent move to Steve Cooper's side, with the deal being viewed as a 'good deal all round' and suitable for all parties.
Skipp, who spent a superb campaign on loan at Norwich City in 2020-21 as he won the Championship with the Canaries, has made 24 appearances for England's under-21 side but having failed to kick on in north London, finally looks set to realise his Premier League dream alongside former Spurs starlet Harry Winks in the centre of the park under Cooper.
Tottenham Need Midfield Experience
The north London outfit have signed plenty of youth this season
Tottenham have seen Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg depart for Marseille this summer and so back-up midfield ranks have been depleted in an experience sense, though youngsters Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray - who both jetted into the club at the start of July - will replace them in a sense of talent on the field.
However, Postecoglou has lost two stars who have featured in over 200 Premier League games for the club combined, alongside Hojbjerg's 109 top-flight outings for Southampton and as a result, someone else could be brought in as a foil - not only to fill the gap Skipp has left, but to ease Gray and Bergvall into the Premier League.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Skipp has only scored one goal for Tottenham - a thunderous strike against rivals Chelsea two seasons ago.
They already boast Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur as their central midfield options with experience but there could be room for another star to join the club. That could come in the form of Manuel Locatelli, who has been linked in a £20million move from Serie A giants Juventus.
With a fee of over £20million being noted for Skipp, he could be a direct replacement to add quality into their ranks and set Tottenham up for a superb campaign both domestically and continentally.