Journalist Alasdair Gold has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur expects to still sign Dejan Kulusevski permanently amid conflicting reports.
What's the latest on Kulusevski and Spurs?
Defeat away at Aston Villa on the weekend in the Premier League means Spurs can only finish the season with a maximum of 63 points.
That means Tottenham will not be playing Champions League football next term and this will no doubt have an impact on their transfer business.
In fact, there were some rumours from Italian outlet Corsport (via Tuttojuve) that Spurs will consequently not exercise the purchase option for Kulusevski when his 18-month loan deal expires this summer.
There had been a clause in his initial loan move from Juventus that the club would have to pay €35m (£30m) if the club finished in the top four. But he is technically now able to return to Juventus.
However, while speaking about the possible transfer on his YouTube channel, Gold insisted that Tottenham still plan to keep the winger around.
He said (41:38): “There's been some reports I saw from Italy suggesting that his loan might end and he might go back to Juventus.
"From what I understand, Spurs expect to sign him.
"If you're not aware, part of his loan deal was that if Spurs finished top four, it would become an obligation to sign it. Otherwise, it would just become an option.
"But from what I understand Spurs are likely, or expecting to take that option. He's very much being seen as a Tottenham player for next season."
How much will Kulusevski cost Tottenham?
After arriving from Juventus in the 2022 January transfer market, the Sweden international made a great initial impact in England.
Indeed, he scored five goals and claimed eight assists in his first 18 Premier League outings. This term, however, things haven't been quite as impressive. For instance, from 28 league games this time around, he has just two goals and six assists.
With that being the case, you could see a possibility where the club decide amid that regression, Kulusevski might not be worth his £110k-p/w wages of that £30m transfer fee.
However, even without the obligation to pay that money, it seems as though there has been an in-house agreement at Tottenham to get this deal across the line.
With Harry Kane's future up in the air, perhaps fans will be glad to at least know one of their other key attackers looks all but certain to stick around in north London.