Tottenham Hotspur have rejected multiple transfer bids for striker Will Lankshear, including a £15m offer from Middlesbrough submitted in January, according to UK sports outlet Hayters.
Lankshear is 21 years old and under contract at Spurs until 2029. The club are understood to be demanding at least £20m for him, a figure no suitor has yet matched.
What Happened in January
The Middlesbrough approach came during the winter window, when Spurs and Lankshear both opted to stay the course with his loan at Oxford United rather than accept the offer. Oxford were relegated from the Championship to League One last season, which does the optics no favours, though Lankshear’s personal numbers – 12 goals and four assists – were reasonable in a side that functioned poorly for much of the campaign under Gary Rowett before Matt Bloomfield took over.
Hayters reports that interest is coming from Championship clubs and abroad, with Sporting CP in Portugal among those monitoring his availability. Middlesbrough are believed to have scouted him, though Teesside coverage suggests he is not yet a priority for the club with other positions ranked higher at this stage of the window.
Where Spurs Stand
With Richarlison and Dominic Solanke ahead of him in the striker pecking order, and Mathys Tel capable of filling in there too, Lankshear has no obvious route to Premier League minutes at Tottenham this season. The options are a sale at the right price, another Championship loan, or a preseason with the first team before a decision is made – the last of which would at least give Ange a proper look at him.
Spurs’ broader posture on young assets has been consistent. Johan Lange has shown similar resolve in fending off approaches for other highly-rated academy prospects, and the club’s willingness to sit on a £15m offer while holding out for £20m suggests they are not in any rush to move Lankshear on cheap. Whether £20m materialises from a Championship club is a different question entirely.
The summer will clarify things. A second consecutive EFL loan is entirely plausible if no bid hits the threshold – and given the Kane comparisons doing the rounds internally, Spurs will not be stampeded into selling a player they rate this highly for a fee that doesn’t reflect that belief.
