Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement for the transfer of United States international DeAndre Yedlin from the Seattle Sounders, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.
- Grantland: Yedlin is America's most wanted
Yedlin, 21, signed a 4-year deal but will remain with the Sounders on loan at least through the end of the Major League Soccer season in December. Tottenham said he would join the London club ahead of the 2015-16 season.
Spurs will pay MLS a $4 million transfer fee, according to ESPN's Taylor Twellman, 75 percent of which will go to the Sounders because of Yedlin's status of a homegrown player.
We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Seattle Sounders for the transfer of DeAndre Yedlin. pic.twitter.com/nfBTmI96Kv
- Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 13, 2014
The speedy right-back turned heads at the World Cup by coming on as a substitute in three games for the U.S. He helped neutralize Cristiano Ronaldo in the Americans' 2-2 draw with Portugal, and played nearly 90 minutes in their round-of-16 defeat to Belgium.
"I'm very excited to come to the Premier League and challenge myself against some of the best players in the world," Yedlin said, according to Tottenham's Twitter account.
"The facilities are the best in Europe, if not the world. It's a great team. I'm very excited.
"It's a great team with a new coach and a style that suits the way I play. That's a big reason I made the decision."
Yedlin will join former U.S. international Brad Friedel at Tottenham, and will be the fourth American to play in the Premier League for Spurs, after Friedel, Kasey Keller, and his current Sounders teammate Clint Dempsey.
The Seattle native said he had the approval of U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who spent two seasons with Tottenham during his own playing career.
"I've talked to [Klinsmann] a lot about this move and he supports it, which was one of the big reasons behind the decision," Yedlin said.
Yedlin had reportedly traveled to England last week as the deal was being finalized and missed the Sounders' 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on Sunday night.
Before the move was announced, he was expected to play in Seattle's U.S. Open Cup semifinal against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night.
"We are extremely proud of what DeAndre has accomplished in his young professional career," Sounders owner and general manager Adrian Hanauer said in a statement. "His success is a reflection of his individual ability as well as soccer development in Washington State and the continued commitment to progress the sport in this country.
"DeAndre is and always will be a special member of the Sounders FC family, and we are excited to have him in Seattle for the remainder of the season."