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The first major Tottenham transfer news of the January window may be about to happen. Numerous UK newspapers are reporting that Andros Townsend is on the verge of moving to Newcastle after the two clubs agreed on a transfer fee today.
Andros has been linked with Toon for a while now, but reports last week suggested that interest had cooled on Andros after Spurs had held firm on their £14m valuation for the winger.
But hey, this is interesting. From the Guardian report:
But with Mauricio Pochettino keen to free up space in his squad, the Tottenham manager has personally intervened to request that the club accepts a lower bid - understood to be somewhere in the middle of the two clubs' valuations. Levy is believed to have sanctioned the move and now Townsend will discuss personal terms with Newcastle but is expected to sign for the club in the next 48 hours.
Mauricio Pochettino personally intervening in a transfer?? FOR A LOWER-PRICED BID?!? If that's true, it speaks volumes: both that Poch has some serious clout and influence in transfer dealings, and that he's ready to ship Andros out the door by whatever means necessary. Sky is reporting that we had rejected both a loan deal and a £10.5m bid from Newcastle earlier in the window, and Watford were also sniffing around Andros if a deal with Toon couldn't be reached. If we split the difference, that means the deal could be worth around £12m. Which wouldn't be too bad.
Andros could be a really nice fit at Newcastle, who are desperate to claw their way out of the drop zone and avoid their second relegation in seven seasons. The academy graduate is obviously done at Spurs, and has been training and playing with the U21s for the past number of weeks in order to keep up his fitness.
There's tons of smoke surrounding this transfer, but as always, we wait from confirmation from the club and/or major sources like the BBC before we jump to any conclusions. However, it appears that Newcastle are personal terms and a successful medical away from getting their man.