Everton are set to miss out on signing Ashley Phillips this summer.
90min have reported that Tottenham Hotspur are set to win the race for the Blackburn Rovers defender and will loan him out once he has completed his £3 million move to North London.
Phillips only made his Championship debut for Blackburn Rovers in August but has already attracted interest after only eight league appearances for the club.
Despite signing his first professional contract last season, the teenager was a target for Everton this summer, as well as Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United.
However, it is Spurs that have won the race for Phillips, with the 18-year-old undergoing a medical on Wednesday as he prepares to link up with the team on their pre-season tour.
With Ange Postecoglou’s side still looking to bolster their defence after Phillips’ arrival, it is likely that the centre-back will be sent out on loan and could return to the Championship.
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Could Everton sign Ashley Phillips on loan?
Ashley Phillips would have been a very promising signing for Everton at only £3m, however there only way of capturing him now would be on loan.
The England U-19 international has only five starts in professional football to his name, so a loan deal for Phillips doesn’t seem like a very sensible idea for the Toffees.
The Premier League certainly isn’t the place for Phillips to develop at this stage of his career and Spurs are likely to send him back to the lower end of the Championship for regular game time.
Meanwhile, Everton do need to look to bring in their own defensive additions following Yerry Mina’s departure. Sean Dyche’s side have the right idea looking at promising youngsters after their average age dramatically increased following the arrival of Ashley Young earlier this month.