Tottenham on verge of transfer announcement as striker boards flight | Football | Sport

Alejo Veliz is closing in on a transfer to City Football Group outfit Bahia from Tottenham after the striker touched down in Brazil to wrap up the final details of the move. Spurs snapped up the 22-year-old during the summer of 2023, but the Argentine managed just eight senior appearances for the north London club under former head coach Ange Postecoglou, finding the net on only one occasion.

Veliz subsequently embarked on a series of loan spells, including two stints in La Liga with Sevilla and Espanyol, before heading back to South America to rejoin the club from whom Tottenham originally purchased him – Rosario Central. The forward chipped in with six goals across 24 outings for the Argentine outfit this season. Spurs reportedly attempted to push through the Bahia deal during the January window but were unable to cut short Veliz’s loan at his boyhood club ahead of schedule.

Shortly after the winter window shut, an agreement was reached with the Brazilian side – part of the City Football Group – to be finalised at the conclusion of the Argentine season. A fee of £7.8million (€9m) was agreed, with £871k in add-ons (€1m) and a 20 per cent sell-on clause also included.

Veliz was intercepted by waiting journalists upon his arrival in the Brazilian city last week and spoke candidly about the impending switch.

“I am very happy with this step in my career, arriving at this club. I am very emotional about leaving Rosario Central because that is my home and my family,” he is quoted as saying by Globo.

“We made this decision because I want to grow my career somewhere else. It was the best decision we made as a family. I watched the fans a lot. I also watched the recent matches. It is incredible. I hope I can give back a little of what they do.”

Globo also reported that, before accepting Bahia’s proposal, Veliz discussed the club with Mateo Sanabria, a Bahia striker he had featured alongside in Argentina’s youth set-up.

The player is understood to have been monitored by Bahia and the City Football Group since 2022, before his switch to Tottenham, and they view the forward as someone who possesses the potential to develop further and increase in value.

Technically, Veliz’s loan arrangement with Rosario expires at the end of June, meaning any transfer announcement may need to wait until that date.

Nevertheless, given the Argentine side will not feature again before then and Veliz has already bid farewell to the club that nurtured him, there is a possibility the deal could be confirmed earlier.

For example, Andy Robertson’s free transfer to Tottenham was confirmed last week despite the Scotland international having a contract with Liverpool that runs until the end of this month.

Regardless, Veliz’s spell at Spurs is drawing to a close with Roberto De Zerbi seeking to strengthen his attacking options in the coming weeks, targeting a new striker and also a winger, with Manchester City‘s Savinho a priority target.