Tottenham reach agreement over Georges-Kévin Nkoudou

French striker close to €11m White Hart Lane move  Talks with Marseille had broken down last month but negotiations resurrected Tottenham’s protracted pursuit of Georges-Kévin Nkoudou is close to completion after an agreement was finally reached with Marseille over the fee for the France under-21 winger.

Nkoudou had looked set to move to White Hart Lane last month, with the Cameroon forward Clinton Njie joining the French club on a season-long loan as part of the deal. But after initially agreeing a fee for a player who scored 10 goals in all competitions last season, the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, attempted to restructure the deal despite Nkoudou having already completed his medical. Negotiations initially broke down, with Tottenham’s head of recruitment, Paul Mitchell, announcing that he would leave his post in the meantime.

Yet having rescued talks with Marseille last week, an “agreement in principle” was reached on Friday that will see Spurs pay the majority of the €11m (£9.53m) fee up front, with Njie moving the opposite way. It is understood that Nkoudou will sign a five-year deal having already completed his medical last month.

Born in Versailles, he began his career at Paris Saint-Germain before joining Nantes in 2013 and moved to the Stade Vélodrome last summer for just £1m.