Tottenham have moved into pole position to sign Xavi Simons from Red Bull Leipzig after the midfielder was given permission to travel to London to finalise his next move, sources have told ESPN.

Chelsea were leading the race for the 22-year-old but have so far been unwilling to meet Leipzig's €70 million ($81.65m) valuation.

Sources have told ESPN that Spurs have submitted an offer which is in the region of that figure and Simons has consequently travelled to London in an effort to resolve his future.

It remains to be seen if Chelsea act to rival Tottenham's bid but their efforts are complicated by a need to comply with the terms of a UEFA punishment which dictates they must record a positive transfer balance in relation to last season's Conference League squad to register new signin

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