Tottenham Hotspur have made Ajax defender Davinson Sanchez their first signing of the summer, the club confirmed.
“I would like to thank the coach, management, players and fans of Ajax. It is a great move for me to come here to develop my career,” Sanchez said in a Tottenham statement.
“I am very excited to be signing for such a famous club as Tottenham Hotspur. I am looking forward to working with Mauricio Pochettino and the players and meeting everyone there,” he added.
While Tottenham have not disclosed the figure, their pursuit of the Colombian International is reported to have cost them an initial figure of £40 million, potentially rising to £42 million, which would make the defender the most expensive Spurs player ever.
Erik Lamela and Moussa Sissoko (£30 million each) jointly held that position before the 21-year-old Sanchez’s move.
Coincidentally, Sanchez is Ajax’s record sale as well, a remarkable return on their £2 million investment two years prior. The Dutch giants had prised Sanchez from Atletico Nacional in 2015 after he had played a crucial role in their Copa Libertadores triumph.
Manchester United were reported to be interested in the 6’2 centre-back as well, but manager Jose Mourinho was not sold on his overall qualities and opted to sign Victor Lindelof from Benfica instead.
For Spurs fans, the news will be a big relief as they had repeatedly vented their ire at the club’s lack of progress in the transfer market and will hope the Colombian is the first and not the last signing with little over ten days left till the transfer deadline.
The Colombian is expected to complete the medical over the weekend and as a result, will not be available for selection for the clubs’ crunch tie on Sunday against arch-rivals Chelsea.
Sanchez, however, will be in contention to start Spurs’ home game against Burnley on August 27.
With his arrival, manager Mauricio Pochettino can experiment with different formations for the 2017-18 season and it is likely that the Argentine tactician will switch to a three-man defensive system comprising Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Sanchez in coming weeks.