Middlesbrough agree £7m transfer for Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips

Middlesbrough have agreed a permanent £7m deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Ashley Phillips as the defender prepares to undergo a medical.

The Championship club will pay an initial up-front fee for the 21-year-old, with potential future add-ons and a sell-on clause included in the transfer.

Phillips is poised to become the second player to swap north London for the Riverside Stadium this summer.

His departure follows the recent club-record arrival of striker Will Lankshear, whose move to Teesside could eventually rise to £20m.

Bolstering the defence for promotion push

Kim Hellberg’s side are targeting another Premier League promotion push this season after suffering heartbreak against Hull in May’s play-off final.

The England youth international arrives with a wealth of experience in the second tier despite his young age.

He has already amassed over 100 Championship appearances during spells with Blackburn Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Stoke City.

Tottenham originally secured the highly-rated prospect for a £2.5m fee from Blackburn in 2023.

As part of that initial agreement, Rovers are now entitled to a 15% cut of the profit from this impending sale.

Spurs balance the books in busy window

The departing centre-half joins a growing list of academy graduates leaving the capital permanently this summer.

Alfie Devine and Tynan Thompson have also sought pastures new as the Lilywhites look to maximise their outgoing revenue.

This latest £7m injection edges the Premier League side closer to banking £100m in total player sales during the current window.

Tottenham are actively looking to offset a massive £237m summer recruitment spend, with the club still expecting to complete two or three more signings before next month’s deadline.