Milan ‘agree £12.8m deal’ for Tottenham defender

AC Milan have reached an agreement to sign Tottenham Hotspur right-back Emerson Royal, reports have claimed.

The Rossoneri have held extensive talks with Spurs for much of the last month regarding the 25-year-old, and it appears there has finally been a breakthrough in discussions.

Various reports out of Italy, including from Fabrizio Romano, claim Milan and Tottenham have now agreed on a £12.8m (€15m) fee to send Emerson to San Siro.

Emerson reached an agreement over personal terms three months ago and is said to have rejected several other offers in order to push through a move to Milan, where he will become their third senior signing of the summer, following on from Alvaro Morata, Strahinja Pavlovic and Alex Jimenez.

Tottenham bought Emerson from Barcelona for £25.8m during the latter stages of the 2021 summer transfer window, and the Brazil international went on to make 101 appearances for the club. He was Spurs’ first-choice right-back following his arrival until spring of 2023 when Pedro Porro was brought in from Sporting CP.

During the 2023/24 season, Emerson was deployed at centre-back and left-back under Ange Postecoglou amid Spurs’ injury crisis.

Though Tottenham remain in the market for a versatile defender to cover several positions across the backline, Postecoglou has hinted he is happy with his selection of right-backs following the reintegration of Djed Spence, who spent last season on loan at Leeds United and Genoa.

Emerson has been capped 10 times by Brazil and will hope a fresh start in Milan will improve his chances of making their final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.