Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on a deal to sign Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele for a club record fee, football.london understands.

The north London club have been tracking the 22-year-old France international for the past two years and finally made their move this summer for a player who is top of Mauricio Pochettino's summer transfer wishlist.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas cast some doubt over the deal on Thursday when he scoffed at reports that Tottenham had agreed a deal for the talented midfielder.

"An offer of 70m euros? If I wait another eight days, it will be 80m euros. Tottenham's first proposal was 45m euros. Since then we've been talking, nothing's done," he told French radio station RMC.

"I can assure you of that. But we're in no hurry either. It's not done. Tanguy has shown these qualities in the French team, he is one of our best players. How much is he worth? I don't know, but it's worth over 45m."

Despite Aulas' comments and reports that Juventus still hold an interest in the player, football.london understands that Tottenham are now in the final stages of completing a deal for Ndombele and he could be confirmed as a Spurs player as early as next week.

It is believed that the deal agreed in principle is worth around £62m with potential add-ons taking it up as high as £75m.

Show Player

The player visited the club's Hotspur Way training complex this week and met with Spurs officials after being given permission by Lyon to do so.

The French club signed 21-year-old Flamengo defensive midfielder Jean Lucas last week and are closing in on a deal to bring in another Brazilian in 27-year-old Thiago Mendes from Lille on the request of new head coach Sylvinho to fill the gap Ndombele will leave.

Ndombele is keen on a move to Tottenham and has been won over by the club and Pochettino's desire to bring him in ahead of others, while making him a key part of the club's midfield.

Despite their links to Ndombele, Juventus are set to sign PSG star Adrien Rabiot on a four-year deal, their second free central midfield transfer deal of the summer on top of their move for Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey.

Tottenham are expected to confirm the signing of 18-year-old Leeds United winger Jack Clarke in the coming days, with a confidence that Ndombele will follow in the days after.

The club are not expected to finish there with their summer spending, with a move for Real Betis' Giovani Lo Celso - once he returns from the Copa America with Argentina - to be sought and Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon is expected to join.

Pochettino told Spanish media outlet TV3 this week: "It is essential that this year the team is reinforced. We have saved a lot of money in just two years without signing players and this should allow us to strengthen ourselves."

Show more

Keep up to date with the latest Tottenham Hotspur news, features and exclusives from football.london via our free WhatsApp service.

Text NEWS to 07776197989 and then add the number to your phone contacts book as spurs dot london (case sensitive, with spaces) to receive daily updates and breaking news from Alasdair Gold and the team on Spurs.

Your phone number won't be shared with any other members of the group. Click here for more information on the service.