Newcastle were also interested in signing James Maddison, who had only a year left on his Leicester contract, but Tottenham are now in pole position; Leicester were unwilling to sell Maddison in January, but following their relegation to the Championship have decided to cash in
Tottenham and Leicester have an agreement in place for the 26-year-old England international worth in the region of £40m.
Newcastle were also interested in signing Maddison, who had only a year left on his Leicester contract, but the north east club has since turned its focus to AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali.
Bolstering Tottenham’s midfield options is a top priority ahead of Ange Postecoglou’s first season in charge.
Spurs have already completed a £17.2m deal for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario this summer, while Dejan Kulusevski has had his loan move from Juventus made permanent.
Meanwhile, Leicester have agreed a £10m deal to sign Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks.
The 27-year-old can leave Spurs after spending last season on loan at Sampdoria.
He made 20 appearances after missing the first part of the season through injury.
The Foxes are also in talks to sign Wolves defender Conor Coady, who is interested in the move to Leicester for regular playing time.
Wolves want around £8m for him after the 30-year-old spent last season on loan at Everton.
Analysis: Maddison among the elite
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright:
Maddison’s reputation is untarnished despite Leicester’s relegation. In a difficult season for the club, he still managed 10 goals and nine assists in Premier League games alone.
It was a continuation of his outstanding body of work at the King Power Stadium. Over the course of five seasons, he has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best attacking midfielders.
His status among the elite is evident in the statistics. Since his arrival at Leicester from Norwich in 2018, only two players – Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold – have created more chances in the Premier League, while only three – Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and Heung Min-Son – have had more shots on goal.
Maddison also ranks in the top eight for assists and big chances created. With 43 goals in that period, only 18 players have scored more.
The numbers add up to show why he was in such high demand.
Who will be on the move this summer ahead of the transfer window closing at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
SkySports