Fulham's Moussa Dembele having medical at Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur are on the verge of buying a second striker to backup Harry Kane. After being linked with Fulham's nineteen-year-old center-forward for months, the BBC reports today that Moussa Dembélé has undergone a medical at the club earlier today.

The French youth international emerged as a target for Tottenham late last year and that rumor has persisted for months. Not without temptation from others though. Recently big clubs such as Manchester United, Monaco, and Juventus have all shown interest in the promising striker.

At first glance, Fulham's willingness to deal with Spurs seems curious. Just 4 points clear of the Championship's relegation places, one would imagine that they would want to keep the firepower that Dembélé brings to their attack. Until, that is, one looks at his contract. Dembélé's contract at Fulham is set to expire this summer and he doesn't intend to sign a new one. Further, while the Frenchman has been at the club since he was sixteen, if he moved abroad, Fulham's homegrown player compensation would be void.

From a transfer fee standpoint, well the information is all over the place. A £5 million fee upfront, without a loan back to Fulham has been suggested, but so has a £1.7 million one with add-ons as well. Either of those numbers, or really anywhere within this vicinity, indicate that Tottenham will not be paying an astronomical sum for his services.

However, the rumor machine is out of control with this deal. Much of what is being reported is not firmly sourced, and a lot of it is contradictory, so we're not sure what to believe at this point. What we think we know is as follows: 1) Dembele almost definitely had a medical today, 2) the fee (if agreed) MIGHT be around £5m with or without escalators, and 3) there MIGHT be a loan back to Fulham, but it's not clear. Since you are all smart and seasoned Carty-Free transfer rumor veterans, you should know that SOMETHING'S in the works, but don't believe everything you read. All shall be made known in the fullness of time.

Spurs have been searching for a Harry Kane back-up for awhile now and Dembélé, or Twossa as he is affectionately known on the site, feels like a perfect fit. He is young and talented, but not wholly proven and experienced. For this reason, he shouldn't bring an ego and disrupt the locker-room. He is also the perfect guy for Pochettino to mold. He has a nice mix of physicality and pace, pedigree from his status as a French U-19 international, and little pressure to perform. He should be able to spell Harry here and there and more ably replace him rather than Son, N'Jie, or Chadli if Kane is injured.

We have been waiting for a signing like this for awhile. Excited to see it hopefully go through. More to come as this story develops.