In the early hours of Friday morning, Spurs made a crucial breakthrough in their pursuit of Xavi Simons after two days of positive talks.
The 22-year-old has spent much of the summer waiting on Chelsea to firm up their interest and pave the way for a move from RB Leipzig. But after missing out on £68 million Eberechi Eze, Tottenham stepped up their interest in a player who had been tracked closely by one of their rivals.
Arsenal may have landed their priority target, but Spurs officials were increasingly excited as they closed in on one of the most gifted young creative midfielders in Europe. And they feel it comes at a much better value price.
On the back of signing Mohammed Kudus earlier this summer and then missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White, sealing a £52 million deal for Simons would mark a pivotal moment for the club’s rebuild.
Sources suggest that Wednesday night brought the first significant breakthrough, with Tottenham sensing for the first time that Simons was genuinely open to joining them.
From there, they worked to sell him on the full package - not just their ambitions on the pitch but also the glamour of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and their state-of-the-art training ground facilities. The player was said to be very impressed.
Thomas Frank is also said to view him as a central figure in his tactical setup and the player has had his role outlined.
Talks continued into Thursday night, with the feeling around the club that they had done enough to convince Simons. Fine details still need ironing out on Friday morning - and there will remain some nervousness from fans that Chelsea could still re-enter the race - but Spurs carried a sense of real optimism into the day.
Even more good news may yet follow. Sources insist Tottenham remain confident of signing another creative attacker before the deadline and are also pushing to add a central defender.
If they can get three key signings over the line before the window closes, it will not only rescue what had looked a frustrating summer - but also set them up perfectly for a Premier League campaign that has already begun in flawless fashion with two wins from two.
