Etienne Capoue. Photo / Getty Images
Tottenham have taken their pre-season spending over £50 million ($96m), ahead of recouping a potential world record transfer fee of up to £100m ($193m) for Gareth Bale.
A £9m ($17m) deal was completed yesterday for Toulouse holding midfielder Etienne Capoue, with the France international undergoing a medical yesterday and expected
to be at Tottenham's final pre-season friendly overnight against Espanyol.
Capoue, 25, can play as a defensive midfielder or defender. He has played for Toulouse for six years, scoring 13 goals in 174 appearances, and has five caps for France, scoring one goal.
Roberto Soldado, the club's new £26m ($50m) record signing, is in the squad for that match at White Hart Lane but Bale will be conspicuous by his absence as the deadlock continues over his proposed move to Real Madrid. Spurs are not interested in Real's suggestion that payments could be stretched over the term of a six-year contract. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy met Madrid president Florentino Perez on Tuesday but talks broke down quickly, with Spurs judging that the valuations Real were placing on their players - striker Alvaro Morata, winger Angel di Maria and left back Fabio Coentrao - were inflated.
Spurs would want at least two of the players discussed should they sell Bale. They also doubt whether Madrid have the money to reach their valuation of Bale, which is around £100m.
