Is it worth coughing up £24m for Wilfried Bony?

This post is part of a deadline morning series on potential Tottenham transfers.You can find all of the posts in the series right here, as well as the initial post explaining this series right here.

Wilfried Bony is sitting out there waiting for someone to come buy him from Swansea City, but whoever buys him is going to have to pay a lot of money. The Swans have set his asking price at £24m, which Tottenham Hotspur are probably not willing to pay.

Bony is, however, just about the best striker that Spurs could reasonably hope to purchase on the last day of the season. And if they're hoping to get rid of Bobby Soldier, it's probably because they're hoping to bring someone else in. And Bony's wages would be lower than Soldado's, so even if the fee Spurs get for the Spaniard is a lot lower than £24m, they can afford to buy Bony without a problem.

This is a pipe dream, though, and it would be ridiculous to assume otherwise. Just because Bony is available and Spurs rate him does not mean it's realistic to sign him. It would end up being the biggest surprise transfer of the day if it happened.

Quick bio: Wilfried Bony absolutely lit up the Eredivisie for two seasons, which means absolutely nothing. Lots of players who turn out to be awful in every other league light up that league, so the biggest club willing to take a chance on him was Swansea. As it turns out, Bony was the rare Eredivisie terrorizer who is actually good. He scored 16 league goals for the Swans last season, and now he might make them a lot of money.

Age: 25

Likelihood he's transfered today: Pretty low, but Swansea are a team of limited means, and they're not getting relegated if they sell him. If someone throws down £24m, they'll let him go.

Potential suitors: There's a good chance there aren't any at that price. It smells of Swansea trying to bait a desperate and rich Arsenal team into a bid. You've got to think Spurs and Arsenal will both pick up the phone, at least.

Price if he's sold: We've covered this, but £24m.

Are Spurs the front-runners?: Doubtful. Arsenal need a striker and they're not going to find a better one than this on such short notice. He's better than Olivier Giroud, too. If Arsenal aren't the front runners, I'm not really sure what Arsene Wenger is doing.

The verdict - Could he be a Spurs player on September 3?: Yes, it's possible, but it would be absolutely stunning to see Daniel Levy throw down £24m. If someone pays a real fee for Roberto Soldado, though, all bets are off.