Tottenham have agreed a fee with Valencia for Spain striker Roberto Soldado.
Soldado will have a medical before putting the finishing touches on his £26million move to White Hart Lane.
The signing will smash Spurs’ transfer record, which was the £17m they paid Corinthians for Brazil midfielder Paulinho earlier in the summer.
Big money: Spurs will smash their transfer record with the signing of Roberto Soldado from Valencia
Tottenham tweeted on Thursday morning: ‘We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Valencia for the transfer of Roberto Soldado subject to medical.’
Soldado last season scored 30 goals in 46 games for Valencia, mainly playing as a lone striker.
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas’ preference is for a 4-3-3 system and it is as a centre forward, ahead of Jermain Defoe or Emmanuel Adebayor, that he is likely to appear.
As Spurs’ own transfer record is broken, they are poised to net a word record £87m fee for Gareth Bale with Real Madrid convinced they have done enough to lure the Wales winger to Spain.
Checking in: Gareth Bale arrives for Tottenham training on Thursday but is expected to leave for Real Madrid
Clinical: Roberto Soldado could provide the goals to turn Tottenham into a Champions League team
Tottenham ins and outs this summer
In: Roberto Soldado (Valencia, £26m), Paulinho (Corinthians, £17m), Nacer Chadli (FC Twente, £6m)
Out: William Gallas (released), John Bostock (Royal Antwerp, free), David Bentley (released), Jake Nicholson (released), Massimo Luongo (Swindon, loan), Adam Smith (Derby, loan), Ryan Mason (Swindon, loan), Steven Caulker (Cardiff, £9m)
After weeks of insisting Bale was not for sale, Spurs are thought to have relented.
Sportsmail understands a deal has been reached in principle and that it should be confirmed once Spurs have secured the signings they need to offset the loss of Bale.
Apart from Soldado, they are also tracking another Spaniard, Alvaro Morata, a 20-year-old striker at the Bernabeu.
Whether he would be prepared to leave Madrid for north London remains to be seen, but Spurs will try to insist he is part of the Bale deal.
Morata was the top scorer at this summer’s Under 21 European Championship in Israel, netting four goals as Spain lifted the trophy.
The arrival of Soldado is a big boost for Villas-Boas, who will make the Spain star his No 1 striker. The player has been offered a five-year contract, worth £60,000 per week rising to £75,000 a week — a sum that fits comfortably in the club’s wage structure.
The Soldado move hit a slight delay over the payment of agents’ fees but sources insist there is no threat of the transfer falling through.
Second choice? Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor could struggle for first-team football this season
ROBERTO SOLDADO FACTFILE
1985: Born May 27 in Valencia.
2000: Joins Real Madrid youth ranks after impressing for Valencia-based regional side Don Bosco.
2002-2006: Regular scorer with Real Madrid B side Castilla.
2004: July – Wins European Under-19 Championship with Spain.
2005: September 28 – Scores late winner on Champions League debut for Madrid in 2-1 victory over Olympiacos.
October 23 – Makes Madrid Primera Division debut against Valencia.
2006: July: Moves to Osasuna on season-long loan and top-scores with 11 goals for the Pamplona-based side in the 2006/07 campaign, helping them reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and also earning him a first call-up to the Spain squad in the process.
2007: June 3 – Makes Spain senior debut in 2-0 Euro 2008 qualifying win over Latvia.
– Makes five league appearances for Real Madrid during 2007/08 season as they win the Primera Division title.
2008: July: Joins neighbouring Getafe from Madrid on a four-year deal for a reported initial fee of four million euros. Scores 29 league goals in his two seasons at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez..
2010: June: Moves to home-town club Valencia in a reported 10million euro deal to help replace David Villa, who had joined Barcelona. Soldado nets 59 league goals in his three years at Valencia.
2012: February 29: Scores hat-trick as second-half substitute for Spain against Venezuela in first national team appearance since 2007.
2013: June: Part of Spain squad that finishes runners-up in Confederations Cup.
August 1: Tottenham confirm they have reached an agreement to sign Soldado from Valencia.
