Tottenham to sign Ashley Phillips in cheaper deal this week after Blackburn ploy backfires

Tottenham are expected to wrap up the signing of highly-rated Blackburn centre-back Ashley Phillips by the end of the week when a release clause kicks in to his contract.

Last month, Spurs thought they had agreed a deal with Rovers worth £3million up-front and a further £2m in adds-ons, and Phillips travelled to London for a medical.

However, the Championship club upped its asking price to £9.5m (£5m plus £4.5m) at the 11th hour in the hope of sparking a bidding war for Phillips before a £2m release clause in his contract becomes active on Friday, on the eve of the new Championship season.

No rival club has bid for Phillips in the intervening period, however, and the 18-year-old is said to be determined to join Spurs.

Rovers still hope to include a series of add-ons in the deal, related to appearances and international recognition, which could lead to Spurs eventually paying about £6.5m for the England Under-19 international.

Phillips is considered a young player for the future — he made his Championship debut only 12 months ago, playing eight times in the League last season — and his arrival is not expected to impact Spurs' pursuit of at least one new senior centre-half.

Meanwhile, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust [THST] have called on fans to protest against a rise in ticket prices before the club's first home game of the season against Manchester United on August 19.

THST want a full reversal of the increases and a guarantee from the board of no rises next season. In a statement, THST said: "If these rises are not opposed, we believe there will be more to come.

"A corresponding increase in season ticket prices would mean rises of between nine and 13 per cent for the 2023-24 campaign, and there is no guarantee that match-day ticket prices will not increase further. This is clearly unacceptable so any price increases must be resisted. Supporters should be at the heart of every decision the club makes, instead, our loyalty is being exploited.

"Ticket price increases are not an economic necessity for the ninth richest club in world football.

"They are a choice: a choice the club's board has chosen to make against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis with prices already sky high. We therefore call on all Spurs fans to join us in telling the club: enough is enough."