Exclusive: £50m Tottenham transfer package required to sign Arthur Vermeeren

Tottenham will have to pay a total package worth £50million to sign Royal Antwerp wonderkid Arthur Vermeeren, Tottenham News has been told.

The Belgian midfielder is only 18 years old but has already played 65 times for Royal Antwerp, acting as a key figure in their title-winning campaign last season, the club's first Jupiler Pro League success in 66 years.

Vermeeren has started every single one of the club's league and UEFA Champions League matches this year, featuring in every minute of their European Group Stage campaign and scoring in a 3-2 win over Barcelona last month.

Tottenham News previously revealed that the north London side had set their sights on signing the playmaker, who scouts have dubbed the next Christian Eriksen.

His impressive form has attracted interest from a host of clubs, and a recruitment source with links to the Belgian market has now revealed to Tottenham News that the midfielder will likely cost as much as £50million.

The structure of the payment would possibly be £25million initially and up to £25million in performance-related bonuses and add-ons, a fee which has been described as "mega money," owing to the midfielder's incredible potential.

Vermeeren has been described as of "real interest" to Ange Postecoglou's side, with the Australian in desperate need of midfield depth.

James Maddison remains sidelined with an ankle injury, while Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr will both be unavailable throughout January and potentially the early part of February as they compete at the African Cup of Nations.

Daniel Levy would need to part with a sizeable chunk of money to secure Vermeeren for his manager, with the £50million price tag not far off the club's record transfer fee, the £63million they paid for Tanguy Ndombele almost four years ago (Sky Sports News, 2 July 2019).

In other Tottenham news, Manchester City are eyeing a summer swoop for one Spurs ace to replace one of their ageing stars.