Where Tottenham stand with Ashley Phillips exit as transfer intent revealed
Ashley Phillips' proposed Tottenham Hotspur exit is turning into somewhat of a saga.
The 21-year-old doesn't seem to feature in Roberto De Zerbi's first-team plans in N17.
An England youth international, Phillips is yet to ever make a competitive appearance for Tottenham.
Signed from Blackburn in 2023, the central defender has spent the entirety of his Spurs career out on loan in the EFL with Plymouth and Stoke City.
It's at Championship level where the youngster has now proven himself as a top player, and one that any second-tier side would be happy to have.
However, it's Middlesbrough who have been the most strongly linked with his signature, and indeed, previously looked to have had it wrapped up.
How does Ashley Phillips feel about leaving Tottenham?
It was widely reported earlier this month that Middlesbrough and Tottenham had agreed a permanent transfer for Phillips.
The Championship promotion hopefuls were understood to be paying an initial £7million, with add-ons taking the total package up to a potential £20m.
Will Lankshear has already left Spurs to join Middlesbrough this summer in a near-identical deal, with Boro spending £10m up front with a further £10m in add-ons.
However, after issues arose following Phillips' medical with the Teessiders, Boro are now pushing for Tottenham to change the terms of their original agreement.
In an X post on Saturday morning, Alan Nixon has provided an update on the progress of these renewed talks in response to an X user asking the question.
"Ongoing…new shape of deal takes a bit of work…but all three parties want a deal," the transfer reporter wrote.
But would Middlesbrough be a good move for Phillips, and would Tottenham be wise to send him there?
Why Tottenham should trust Middlesbrough with Phillips
As aforementioned, Tottenham and Middlesbrough have already done business in the form of Lankshear this summer.
The 21-year-old is already off the mark for the Smoggies too, netting the winner in their 1-0 League Cup win over Wrexham.
Kim Hellberg's side are many people's fancies for automatic promotion to the Premier League this season, and they've recruited well this summer.
In recent years, Boro have built a strong reputation for developing young players, either through their academy or via the market, and selling them on for big fees.
Djed Spence, Morgan Rogers, Hayden Hackney, Rav van den Berg, Finn Azaz and Marcus Tavernier are just some examples of this.
But despite having a stacked squad, they may still have an opening at centre-back for Phillips to come in and win an instant starting role.
So, if Tottenham can insert a healthy sell-on clause in any deal that takes Phillips to the Riverside, Spurs should be confident Boro will provide them with future funds.