Tottenham complete Bentley switch

Tottenham have bolstered their ranks with the signing of midfielder David Bentley from Blackburn Rovers.

The club confirmed to the Stock Exchange on Thursday morning that a £15m deal, potentially rising to £17m, had been agreed for the 23-year-old. Bentley had a medical on Wednesday and Spurs have called a news conference for 1000 BST on Thursday where they will unveil their new capture.

The signing comes just days after Spurs sold Robbie Keane to Liverpool.

A statement from Tottenham plc read: "Tottenham Hotspur plc is pleased to announce that agreement has been reached with Blackburn Rovers for the transfer of the registration of the England international midfielder, David Bentley, age 23 years, to Tottenham Hotspur FC for a total consideration of £15m and up to an additional £2m payable upon future performances.

"The player's contract is for a period of up to six years."

England international Bentley joined Rovers in 2006 and extended his contract last year but made it clear he wanted to move on. He is now expected to travel to Holland this weekend with his new team-mates to be part of Spurs' pre-season preparations at the Feyenoord Jubileum Tournament.

"I spoke to the Spurs chairman last night and we agreed a fee and a deal in principle for David," said Blackburn chairman John Williams on Wednesday.

As an Arsenal player Bentley was loaned out, first to Norwich in 2004, and then to Blackburn in 2005 before making the switch to Ewood Park permanent the following season. But Williams refused to be drawn on any possible aspects of the deal which may involve Spurs' North London rivals, with some reports stating Arsenal are set to recoup £7m.

"I am not willing to discuss percentages and sell-on details of monies which may be owed to Arsenal, that's confidential information," he added. In his time at Blackburn, Bentley has scored 13 goals in 102 Premier League games and won six England caps.

He arrivals follows the signings of forward Giovani Dos Santos, midfielder Luca Modric and Heurelho Gomes by Spurs as manager Juande Ramos strengthens his squad. The club have also been linked with a move for Russia star Andrei Arshavin, who is at Zenit St Petersburg, while doubts persist over the White Hart Lane future of striker Dimitar Berbatov.

Argentine striker Diego Milito has also all been linked with Spurs this summer. The club won the Carling Cup last season but finished a disappointing 11th in the Premier League.