Conor Gallagher has been given permission by fly to England on Tuesday morning after Tottenham agreed to meet Atletico Madrid's £34.7million asking price - moving to beat Aston Villa to the signing of the midfielder.
Gallagher has still to agree personal terms but talks are continuing with the 25-year-old former Chelsea midfielder open to a return to the Premier League.
His camp are keen to have the deal done before Atletico's Cup clash at Deportivo La Coruna on Tuesday evening.
Villa had earlier proposed a loan with obligation to buy but Spurs, who had been rebuffed in an initial loan offer, restructured their bid to suit Atletico's demands.