Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly close to securing a permanent transfer for Dejan Kulusevski.
The Lowdown: Spurs' swoop for Kulusevski
The north London club signed the winger back in the previous January transfer window from Juventus on an 18-month loan deal that costs Spurs £8.3m with an obligation to buy the player for £29.2m if certain sporting criteria are met.
Since then, the 22-year-old has made 32 appearances for the Lilywhites across all competitions, scoring six goals and delivering 13 assists along the way.
Now that domestic football has taken a break as a result of there being a winter World Cup taking place in Qatar, it appears that some behind-the-scenes rumblings have been going on at Spurs regarding Kulusevski.
The Latest: Spurs close to permanent Kulusevski deal
According to a recent report from Football Insider, Tottenham have everything in place to sign Kulusevski permanently regardless of whether he activates the reported clauses in his contract.
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The report also adds that with the club apparently obliged to pay £30m to Juventus if he plays 20 Premier League games this season and they finish in the top four, Spurs will push ahead with the permanent signing in 2023 even if those objectives aren't met.
The Verdict: A no-brainer for Spurs
After joining in January, the winger managed to end the previous league campaign with the third-highest rate of shot-creating actions (3.64), which was more than Harry Kane (3.54) managed to pick up.
Across the nine league games he's made this season, Kulusevski, who has been hailed as an "outstanding" player by journalist Charlie Eccleshare, has delivered more assists (5) than any other player in Antonio Conte's squad.
This further highlights how much of a useful and effective attacking figure the £110k-per-week star is for Tottenham and why securing him on a permanent deal should be a no-brainer for the club.
Moving forward, if Spurs can get this deal confirmed at the end of the season, this will undoubtedly be a massive boost for the club, Conte and the supporters.