Will Lankshear targeted by Premier League clubs should he leave Tottenham - European Football

Premier League clubs are ready to pounce if Tottenham decide to let young forward Will Lankshear leave this summer.

Lankshear, 21, finished off a superb loan spell at relegated Oxford with a 47th appearance for the Championship side in Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Millwall.

While Lankshear was unable to keep Oxford up, the England Under-21 striker scored 12 goals and provided four assists during a successful season-long loan to catch the eye of numerous clubs in England and abroad, the Press Association understands.

Former Arsenal youngster Lankshear is due to return to Hotspur Way at some point over the next week for end-of-season testing before a well-earned rest.

Any decision on Lankshear’s long-term future at Tottenham will not take place until there is clarity over which division the club will be in for the 2026-27 campaign, but there is optimism about his prospects under Roberto De Zerbi, PA understands.

Spurs boss De Zerbi handed debuts to numerous young players at Brighton, including Evan Ferguson.

Ferguson scored 11 goals in De Zerbi’s first season at the Seagulls as a teenager and is a similar profile to Lankshear, who has developed physically in the Championship and broken his top speed on multiple occasions.

Antonio Conte was the first Tottenham head coach to work with Lankshear after his arrival from Sheffield United in 2022 and gave him a debut in a friendly fixture with Nice after the winter World Cup.

However, Ange Postecoglou presented Lankshear with his breakthrough during the 2024-25 campaign and the all-action forward scored on an eventful night against Galatasaray in the Europa League where he silenced the Rams Park crowd before he earned an unfortunate second yellow card.

Lankshear then scored the first goal of the ill-fated Thomas Frank era at Spurs last July in a friendly at Reading before he was sent on loan to Oxford despite other Championship options.

A run of three goals in his first five matches quickly endeared Lankshear to the Oxford faithful alongside his wholehearted displays, but Gary Rowett was dismissed by the U’s in December.

Middlesbrough were one of several clubs eager to sign Lankshear in January, but the forward wanted to stay at Oxford to help in their relegation battle and quickly gained the trust of Matt Bloomfield.

After Lankshear produced a stunning brace against Sheffield Wednesday last month, Bloomfield said: “His finishing, dedication to his craft and single-minded desire to be the best he can be, I think he’s a credit to himself. There’s so much to admire about him and he’s going to go to the top.”

Lankshear has often drawn comparisons to Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer Harry Kane given his predatory finishing ability along with a similar route into the professional game after being rejected by Arsenal.

After Lankshear this season bettered Kane’s own goalscoring tally from Championship loans with Millwall and Leicester, the young forward will wait to discover whether he gets a chance at Spurs or if another summer move away will follow.