Tottenham Hotspur remain locked in negotiations with Bournemouth over Dominic Solanke – but want to do a deal below his £65m release clause.
i understands talks are continuing over a move that would see Solanke join Spurs even in the wake of Richarlison turning down a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia.
Solanke has been identified as Tottenham’s preferred striker option but the prospect of a swift deal for the 26-year-old seems unlikely at this point.
It is understood the two sides remain apart on a valuation after talks this week.
Bournemouth are understandably reluctant to part with Solanke but the forward is keen on the move and the club could cash in if the price was right.
Solanke has three years left on his contract so his value is high and this would likely be the best time for the Cherries – who lost one of their prime assets Lloyd Kelly to Newcastle United for no fee after his contract expired earlier this summer – to cash out.
He scored 21 goals across all competitions last season, the best return of his Premier League career, and has aspirations of breaking into the England set-up before the World Cup in 2026.
Bournemouth’s situation is complicated by the need to source a replacement for their top scorer in a remarkably flat transfer market.
The almost universal feeling among Premier League executives and agents is that clubs are reluctant or unable to spend as freely as previous summers.
The market for Brentford’s Ivan Toney – valued close to £100m last summer and having enhanced his reputation with telling contributions at Euro 2024 for England – remains fairly flat with no bids having been tabled yet.
He has been linked with Spurs too but it appears as if Solanke is the preferred option for a position that Ange Postecoglou is desperate to strengthen.
Tottenham will be active before the transfer deadline but want to extract value from the market, which means that negotiations with Bournemouth have been difficult.
They will not have money from a Richarlison sale to play with either after he decided not to make a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, with one club having tabled a bid for him.
“There has been an offer but my dream of playing for the Brazilian Selecao and in the Premier League speaks louder,” Richarlison told ESPN Brazil on Thursday.