Tottenham leading race to sign English defender Edwards

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Tottenham are ahead in the chase to sign talented English defender Ronnie Edwards from Peterborough United.

Peterborough Today report that Spurs’ closest challengers are a Bundesliga club ahead of the summer transfer window.

Barry Fry has confirmed Tottenham’s interest, but is expecting an eight-figure sum when Edwards does leave the club, smashing Posh’s record outgoing fee.

Speaking about the £10 million it cost to get Ivan Toney out of Posh when he joined Brentford, Fry said: “That record would be smashed if we were to sell Ronnie.

“There was plenty of interest in him before he started playing regularly in the Championship and that interest will only grow further when he plays for England in the summer.

“Spurs have been watching him for a long time, but so have other clubs. There is a big German club showing interest which is no real surprise as they love to take young English players and develop them.

“I’m not saying he will be sold as we haven’t had our planning meetings for next season yet, but, if he was to leave, ideally he’d go and be loaned straight back to us for a year. Nothing is likely to happen anyway until Ronnie comes back from his tournament this summer.”

Spurs’ local rivals Arsenal of course made their big move to sign a new central defender last summer, bringing in Ben White from Brighton.

Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony has compared Edwards to the England international, saying: “I haven’t seen Ronnie give the ball away yet. He’s like a hybrid of Ben White and Ryan Bennett.

“When Barry Fry was watching Ronnie play for Barnet Under 18s against Posh their chairman said he was the best player to ever emerge from their academy.”

White did his apprenticeship in the EFL, with Newport and Leeds and Spurs are clearly looking to get the next new English central defensive talent, even if they would have to loan him back for a year to continue his development.