Tottenham Hotspur are seemingly willing to give up on Alfie Devine after an impressive loan spell at Preston North End.
The 21-year-old joined the club from Wigan Athletic when he was 16, and became the club's youngest-ever player when he featured in the FA Cup tie against Marine five years ago. Devine has long been touted for big things, and we've seen sustained periods of good form in the second tier this season.
A dynamic and athletic midfielder with box-crashing capabilities, Devine has just completed his fourth loan since joining the club. Previous English Football League stints at Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle failed to return much success, before he scored six times in 32 games for Belgian Pro League side Westerlo last season.
He moved through the gears at Preston, having signed a new deal with Spurs last summer. Devine settled in at Deepdale and was named their Young Player of the Season after scoring eight times in the Championship.
Now, PNE, who finished 14th, are hopeful of securing the midfielder's signature on a permanent basis.
Preston ready to pull Devine trigger
There was an agreement in Devine's loan deal that Preston could buy the 21-year-old outright for £4.5 million. That'd be a club-record fee for the Championship side, who don't want to let Devine return to north London.
According to Alan Nixon (via Lilywhite Rose on X), Preston are attempting to negotiate a payment structure with Spurs that'd allow them to pay off the transfer over multiple years—a common practice.
It's not yet clear whether Spurs are willing to accept such a proposal, although it's one I don't think the club should be entertaining anyway. We'd bank some pure profit on a player we've nurtured since he was 16, but Devine is surely more valuable to us than £4.5m? Even if he's not integrated into Roberto De Zerbi's squad next season, another successful loan in 2026/27 could see his value inflate further.
This isn't a player we should be borderline discarding for a relatively minute fee.
Spurs hold the cards, with Preston having the option to sign Devine permanently, not an obligation. Shouldn't we be giving De Zerbi the chance to work with him this summer, given that our midfield has hardly emerged as a position of strength this season?
The Italian will build this Tottenham squad in his image, and he may appreciate Devine's lung-busting runs.
Add us as a preferred source on Google