Tuesday 12 July 2016 19:17, UK
Tottenham have completed the signing of Dutch international striker Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar on a four-year contract, subject to international clearance.
The 22-year-old forward completed his medical on Monday and it has now been confirmed that he will join Harry Kane in the Spurs attack next season, for a fee understood to be £18.6m.
Janssen was the Eredivisie's top scorer last season with 27 goals and was on target for the Netherlands during his second international cap against England at Wembley, in March.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been strengthening his squad this summer as he looks to build on last season's third-place Premier League finish and had already signed midfielder Victor Wanyama from Southampton last month.
Sky sources first reported Tottenham's interested in Janssen in May when boss Mauricio Pochettino, his assistant Jesus Perez, and head of recruitment Paul Mitchell scouted the player at a Euro 2016 warm-up match between Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
Tottenham were subsequently granted permission by Alkmaar to hold talks with the forward and they flew him to London to cast an eye over the Spurs training ground at Hotspur Way.
But Spurs had their first offer of £15m rejected by Alkmaar who, on the advice of 'Moneyball' baseball expert Billy Beane, said he was worth more.
Janssen openly admitted his frustration at a subsequent stalemate between the clubs, and blamed Alkmaar for stopping his "dream" move to White Hart Lane.
Wolfsburg and Paris Saint-Germain were also interested in Janssen, with the former also having a £15m bid turned down, but both clubs cooled their interest once they were told the player's heart was set on a move to Spurs.
Sky sources reported on Friday that negotiations had resumed and the two parties were close to an agreement and Janssen's transfer marks an astonishing rise for a player who cost Alkmaar just 400,000 euros from Dutch second division side Almere City last summer.
