Tottenham set for transfer windfall thanks to savvy clause as trio fight over Troy Parrott

Tottenham stand to profit as the battle to secure Ireland's World Cup qualifying hero Troy Parrott intensifies. The forward, who progressed through the Spurs youth system, departed for AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2024 in search of more first-team opportunities.

He has found exactly that in the Netherlands, where he is enjoying a remarkable campaign with 25 goals for club and country. He recently netted a hat-trick as AZ demolished Ajax 6-0 in the KNVB Cup. In November, he single-handedly propelled Ireland into the World Cup play-offs with five goals across two matches in victories over Portugal and Hungary, including a stunning hat-trick in the latter. His performances have understandably caught the eye of numerous clubs. Fulham, Wolfsburg and Real Betis have demonstrated the strongest interest, according to the Independent.

That could potentially trigger a bidding war that might boost the finances at Spurs, who included a 20 per cent sell-on clause when they offloaded Parrott for £6.7m. Parrott's ambition to return to the Premier League one day places Fulham as the front-runners.

Nevertheless, a switch to Germany might also prove attractive, considering the Bundesliga's reputation for nurturing players. A transfer fee of £17.4m has been suggested by Wolfsburg, though AZ are reportedly holding out for more.

EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

A fee of £20m, for instance, would deliver Spurs £4m. Parrott has reacted to the rumours about his future, assuring ESPN of his commitment to AK. He said: "My mind is here, this club has done so much for me. It's about trying to contribute as best as I can to help the club.

"We're in a really difficult spot, my mind is fully focused on being here and trying to help the club through this difficult time."

However, it's evident that Parrott is becoming increasingly frustrated with AZ's inconsistency. After their demolition of Ajax, they suffered a 3-1 defeat to PEC Zwolle before drawing 1-1 at home against Excelsior on Wednesday, leaving them in seventh place in the Eredivisie table.

Parrott, who netted AZ's goal, said: "It's the same story it seems week after week now. We're in a really tough spot as a club as a team, and it's on all of us to try and turn it around. The feeling is not there in the team, the fighting spirit is not there for 90 minutes and this is a problem.

"You can have it for 60 or 70 minutes but you switch off for a moment and you concede a goal, it's one point instead of three. We're not creating many chances.

"We played Ajax, we created chances and we won 6-0. Then PEC and then [Excelsior] and we didn't. The consistency is not there. It's up to all of us in the dressing room. The last seven or eight games has not been good at all."