Croatia midfield star Luka Modric is heading for Tottenham next season after agreeing a deal with the Premier League side, the club confirmed on Saturday.
The League Cup winners have agreed personal terms with the Dinamo Zagreb player in a deal believed to be worth 15.8 million pounds (31.3 million dollars) and he will arrive in the summer, subject to passing a medical.
Modric must also obtain a work permit but that should be a formality as he is a regular in the Croatia national team.
The 22-year-old, who was reportedly targeted by many of Europe’s top sides, made his name in the Bosnian league as a teenager before moving to Croatian club Inter Zapresic followed by Dinamo in 2005.
He made his debut for Croatia a year later and has gone on to win more than 20 caps for Slaven Bilic’s side – including the home and away victories over England that cost them their place at Euro 2008.
He had been linked with possible transfers to the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and, most recently, Newcastle.
Spurs manager Juande Ramos will be hoping that the signing will set the tone for his intentions next season after a hugely frustrating campaign for the north London club.
Spurs were widely tipped to break the stranglehold of the big four before the current season began but under former boss Martin Jol they made a disastrous start to fall way off the pace for even a UEFA Cup spot.
Since his arrival in October, Ramos has overseen a major improvement in fortunes, including a League Cup triumph which has guaranteed European football for next season.
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