Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton have moved beyond mere interest in Boca Juniors forward Leonel Flores, submitting formal proposals to the 19-year-old South American.
Football FanCast sources understand both clubs have outlined clear first-team pathways to Flores, with Spurs believing they can offer him regular minutes as early as next season.
Both clubs are also reported to be willing to meet Flores’ release clause in January, believed to sit at around €13million, equivalent to approximately £11.1million.
With the club-to-club financial arrangements largely agreed, any deal is expected to come down entirely to the player’s own preference on his next destination.
Flores has attracted attention from several Premier League sides, with reports in Argentina also linking Manchester City and Aston Villa with the teenager.
The Boca Juniors forward is not a pure striker, capable of operating wide on either flank as well as centrally, giving him significant versatility at the highest level.
He has already forced his way into Boca’s senior plans under Rodolfo Arruabarrena, contributing two goals and an assist from his first 12 appearances for the Argentine club.
The pursuit of Flores comes amid a significant rebuild at Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi, who was handed in excess of £300million to reshape the squad this summer.
That spending has not translated into early-season results, with Spurs sitting in the bottom three after back-to-back Premier League defeats to Brentford and Newcastle.
Richarlison, at 29, now looks set to leave for Trabzonspor after being left out of Spurs’ Premier League squad and agreeing personal terms with the Turkish club.
Dane Scarlett and Will Lankshear have both been allowed to depart, while Mason Melia has been sent out on loan to gain regular first-team football elsewhere.
That leaves Dominic Solanke and loan signing Omar Marmoush as Tottenham’s senior central options, strengthening the case for investing in a long-term attacking prospect like Flores.
Tottenham’s immediate attention turns to a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, where De Zerbi will be searching desperately for his first Premier League win of the season.
Forest have won their last four meetings with Spurs and arrive into the weekend on the back of a battling 2-2 draw at Liverpool.
There is some positive news for Tottenham, however, with Mohammed Kudus returning to availability after seven months out following his substitute cameo against Newcastle.