Tottenham close to first summer signing after agreeing £42m fee with Ajax for Davinson Sanchez

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on their first signing of the summer after agreeing a deal in principle with Ajax for the transfer of central defender Davinson Sanchez.

Spurs are the only team in the English top-flight yet to make a signing and Mauricio Pochettino admitted that it was not an ideal situation going into the new campaign. He revealed that they were working on bringing in new additions and will be delighted to have agreed a deal for the Eredivisie defender.

The north London club have been in negotiations with their Dutch counterparts for over a week, and after their initial approach was rejected they have finally made a breakthrough with regards to the transfer fee. According to the The Guardian, Tottenham have agreed a £42m ($54.1m) fee with Ajax for the defender's transfer, with the Premier League side set to pay £28m upfront and £14m in add-ons.

The Colombia international joined the Eredivisie giants from Atletico Nacional last summer and impressed in his debut season in the Dutch league. He played a key role as Ajax reached the final of the Europa League where they lost to Manchester United, while also contributing with six goals to help them finish second in the league.

Tottenham were not the only club chasing after Sanchez as Premier League rivals Chelsea were monitoring his situation, while Barcelona have also been linked with a move. The Catalans were favourite initially after the player expressed a desire to play at Camp Nou, but has since chosen to move to north London. The Spanish giants, meanwhile, have moved to snap up the Ajax defender's compatriot Yerry Mina from Brazilian side Palmeiras.

The Guardian report expects Pochettino's side to confirm their first signing in the coming days with the Colombian centre-back expected to sign a five-year deal. Sanchez will compete for a place in the starting XI against two former Ajax defenders Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.