Spurs are after Wanyama as they prepare for next season’s Champions League campaign.PHOTO/courtesy.
UNITED KINGDOM, June 13 – Celtic are edging closer to an extra Sh143.6 million (£1m) summer windfall when it emerged their former midfielder Victor Wanyama was in talks regarding a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Southampton have reluctantly accepted that the 24-year-old midfielder, in the final year of his contract, is moving on but would be looking for a bigger fee than the Sh1.6 billion (£11m) fee which last season’s Premier League runners-up Arsenal have initially offered.
When Celtic sold the Kenyan captain to Southampton three years ago, they inserted a clause in his contract which meant they would receive a cut of any future deal, believed to be around 15 per cent, which would come into affect once the transfer goes through.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, who bought Wanyama from Celtic, tried to get the player last year and had a bid of close to Sh2.8 billion (£20m) rebuffed.
READ: Tottenham edging closer to deal for Victor Wanyama, sources
Pochettino has been keen to land another defensive midfielder ahead of next season, when the White Hart Lane club will be returning to the Champions League.
He believes Wanyama, who he signed from Scottish giants Celtic for £12.5m three years ago when he was the Saints ‘ boss will be an ideal fit.
The fee this time around will be lower, despite Southampton digging their heels in, because he has only a season left on his current deal on the south coast of England.
It is believed talks have reached an advanced stage, there has been speculation it will be done and dusted over the next few days, and therefore Brendan Rodgers will have his transfer budget raised by at least £1m.
And that figure could rise even further if new Everton manager Ronald Koeman goes back to Southampton for Fraser Forster and Virgil van Dijk during this transfer window.
The Dutchman is expected to move for one or even both ex-Celts, who have similar clauses in their contract to that of Wanyama, and if even just one such deal came off, Rodgers would reap the benefit. A fee of around £20m would see either the goalkeeper of defender follow Koeman to Goodison Park.
-By Herald Scotland-
