Tottenham Hotspur have now been provided with a promising update on their pursuit of Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson by journalist Ben Jacobs.
Is Brennan Johnson signing for Tottenham?
There have been reports suggesting that Johnson would be keen on a move to north London, with Football Insider reporting he has told friends he wants to sign for Tottenham, although Chelsea and West Ham United are also in the mix for his signature.
Spurs have already held talks over a deal, but they are currently a long way off an agreement with Forest, who were said to be holding out for a fee of £45m, but a new report from the same website suggests he could be available for a lower amount.
Football Insider have now reported the Lilywhites are in pole position to land the winger in the next week, with Steve Cooper’s side wary of abiding by Financial Fair Play rules, after their mega-money signings in the 2022-23 campaign.
As such, the Tricky Trees could let the Wales international leave for a fee exceeding £40m, which would still be a club-record departure, with Tottenham keen on the move, having kept tabs on him for quite some time.
In a recent interview with GiveMeSport, Jacobs has suggested that a move to north London could be a real possibility in the final week of the transfer window, given that the Forest star is prioritising a move to Spurs. The journalist said:
“I think the preference of the player would be Spurs. That’s what I’ve always been told, so we now wait and see how it plays out.
“On the Chelsea side, I don’t think that the interest can be disputed, but they’re not active in terms of a club-to-club conversation or even on the player side at this point.
“Chelsea are going to be a side to watch right until the end of the window. They’re going to surprise us, no doubt, with a few moves.
“But, as far as Brennan Johnson is concerned, I think Spurs is more likely than Chelsea. We have to now see whether Ange Postecoglou feels that he would fit in.”
The 22-year-old is already an established international for Wales, having made 22 appearances for his national side, and he has recently displayed he has what it takes to perform at Premier League level, scoring eight goals in 38 top-flight games last term.
Some aspects of the Wales international’s game are definitely in need of improvement, considering he ranks in just the 18th percentile for assists per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, but he is still very young.
Lauded as “tremendous” by journalist Joe Crann, the Nottingham-born winger has adapted well to life in the Premier League, but there are doubts over he would be worth £40m.
Johnson’s performances are yet to justify an outlay of that size, so Tottenham should try to negotiate a lower fee, particularly considering Forest may need to make a sale, in light of their FFP obligations.