Bookmakers have slashed the odds on Tottenham signing Paris Saint-Germain right-back Serge Aurier this month to 1/10.
Sky Bet priced Spurs as overwhelming favourites on Sunday afternoon to land the defender before the transfer window shuts next Thursday night.
The next best-priced club to land Aurier, 24, is Manchester United, who are a distant 16/1, while Juventus come in at 20/1 and Inter Milan and Chelsea are both 28/1.
The drop in Spurs’ odds – they were evens at the start of the week – to seal the deal for the Ivory Coast international comes after widespread reports that he has already passed a medical at Tottenham ahead of completing a £23million move.
But it is said that the defender requires special paperwork to enter the country, pending a decision being made public about his appeal against an assault conviction.
L’Equipe report that Aurier will complete a move to White Hart Lane if he can officially prove he appealed against a convertible two-month prison sentence.
OPINION:
Despite the dramatic drop in odds, there remains some doubt as to whether they can push this deal over the line. Daniel Levy is clearly doing all he can to overcome the red tape and legal hurdles blocking the transfer of a player who is ideally suited to the three-man centre-back system Mauricio Pochettino appears to have in mind this season. Like Kyle Walker, Aurier’s game is based upon explosive speed and the ability to surge up and down the right flank. He is a huge attacking asset and has the pace to recover quickly when he is caught upfield. The Ivory Coast international is entering his peak years and can take Spurs to the next level. First, Spurs must getting this complex deal done.