Tottenham are closing in on a deal for Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Spurs are on the hunt for a new keeper this summer and had been interested in Brentford’s David Raya. The Bees, however, had been demanding £40million for their No1, and Spurs have now swooped for Vicario.
A fee of around £17m has been agreed and talks over the Italian moving to north London are at an advanced stage.
Vicario’s arrival could pave the way for Spurs captain Hugo Lloris to leave the club this summer. The 36-year-old has been at the club since 2012 and has one year left on his current contract but is open to leaving.
“We are coming to an important moment, whether for the club or for me — it’s the end of an era,” Lloris told French newspaper Nice-Matin earlier this month. “I have desires for other things, I will ask myself quietly to study what will be possible.
Live blog: Follow all the latest transfer news and rumours
“But I don’t forget that I still have a year of contract with Tottenham and that in football it is always difficult to predict what will happen. What is essential at the moment is to recover well from my injury. I’m on vacation but I continue to talk and do my training.”
Vicario would be new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou’s first signing since he was appointed at the start of this month.
The 26-year-old has worked his way up the leagues in Italy, but has impressed with Empoli in Serie A.
Vicario helped them avoid relegation and his performances earned him his first call-up to the Italian national team.
He had been attracting interest from Champions League finalists Inter Milan, who are in the market for a new goalkeeper in case Andre Onana is sold this summer.
“It’s a source of pride for us that the top teams have him in their sights,” said Empoli president Fabrizio Corsi.
