Spurs could well be £16m richer by the end of next weekend because of a smart bit of business by the club.
Midfielder Nabil Bentaleb has been on loan at German outfit Schalke this season and has been a regular in the side that currently lies in 11th place in the Bundesliga.
The Algerian spent some time in the youth ranks at Tottenham before stepping up to the first-team when Tim Sherwood stepped in as manager. Sherwood was a huge admirer of the Algerian and made him a regular starter.
He made a total of 35 appearances for Spurs in 2014/15 but despite signing a new five-year deal in July 2015 only featured 11 times last term as Spurs finished the Premier League season in third last term.
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Bentaleb was sent on loan to Schalke for the season but very cleverly, the club have included a clause in his contract which means that if he reached 20 Bundesliga appearances, his deal becomes permanent and Spurs receive a transfer fee of 19 million euros, which equates to £16 million.
The 22-year old is currently on 19 appearances in total, 17 of which have been starts and according to German outlet BILD, should Bentaleb take to the field next Sunday in an away game against FC Koln, Spurs will pocket £16 million and the deal will be sealed.
It's a very tidy bit of business from Spurs, to get a decent fee for a player who could not get into their side last season and would be nowhere near their first-team had he remained with the club for the current campaign.
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Bentaleb has made it clear that he wants to remain with Schalke, at one point saying that the club believe in him but you have to wonder whether he does miss a bit of the banter at Spurs, ala the video posted of Heung-Min Son in a hotel when Spurs were on a warm winter training camp last month.
He is expected to pen a four-year deal with Schalke when his move does become permanent.
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The central midfielder has scored five times this season in all competitions and his four strikes in the Bundesliga mean he is Schalke's top scorer in the league at present. He has also contributed further with four assists for The Royal Blues.
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