Tottenham Hotspur have agreed an £11m fee with Southampton for the services of Victor Wanyama, 24.
The Saints are still hunting for a new manager so the board took the decision that the contract rebel would be sold. Premier League champions, Leicester City, were also interested but the ensuing bidding war never materialised.
It’s expected that the midfielder will complete a medical and agree personal terms before his 25th birthday next week.
The move follows a similar pattern to his departure from Celtic three years ago. As with then, the Kenyan rejected an improved contract from the Saints and opted instead for a cut-price move. Southampton are set to lose £1.5m on the deal.
It gives him chance to reunite with Tottenham manager, Mauricio Pochettino, who took him from Celtic Park and made Wanyama the first Kenyan to appear in the Premier League.
Pochettino was concerned with the disastrous end to Tottenham’s 2015/16 campaign which saw them fall from title contenders to third place, behind north London rivals, Arsenal. Wanyama will add much-needed steel to the midfield with Pochettino confident he can tame the Kenyan international’s sometimes fiery temper.
It will be Spurs first signing of the summer as the Argentinean plots another title charge in the club’s final season at White Hart Lane.
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