Brighton agree record deal with Tottenham to sign Alex Pritchard

Brighton and Hove Albion have agreed a club record fee to sign Alex Pritchard from Tottenham Hotspur. The midfielder has failed to break into the first-team under Mauricio Pochettino and following multiple loan spells in recent seasons, he will now be allowed to join the Championship outfit on a permanent basis.

The Daily Mail reports that the two clubs have agreed a fee of around £8m ($10.6m) for the midfielder's transfer making him the south coast club's most expensive signing beating their previous record of £2.5m they paid for Craig Mackail-Smith in 2011. There were other clubs interested in signing the midfielder as well but were unwilling to meet the north London club's high valuation.

Pochettino had already made it clear that the 23-year-old midfielder was not part of his plans after he was left behind in north London during Spurs' recent pre-season tour of Australia. He along with Federico Fazio and Nabil Bentaleb have been deemed surplus by the Argentine manager.

"The situation of the other three [Fazio, Bentaleb and Pritchard] players is very clear," Pochettino was quoted as saying by ESPN at a press conference on Monday (25 July). "They are not in my plans and they know. I have communicated with them and it was made very clear. It's not a problem. They know the situation and we'll see what happens."

Brentford were also keen to take him back after he impressed during a successful loan spell with the club during the 2014/15 campaign. He scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 47 appearances for the Championship club and they were hoping to sign him on a permanent basis, but co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen deemed him too expensive.

"He will be too expensive, I don't think he will be an option," Brentford's football director said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.