Roberto De Zerbi has reportedly agreed terms with Tottenham over a deal to become their next permanent manager. The former Brighton and Marseille boss entered talks with the north Londoners over the weekend, with the departure of Igor Tudor being confirmed on Sunday evening. He is currently unattached, having left Marseille earlier this year.

Things have been moving quickly behind the scenes and it seems De Zerbi is now close to signing on the dotted line. A monster five-year contract has been agreed with the Belgian head coach, according to talkSPORT. Official confirmation of his arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is expected to arrive in due course.

Last week, it was widely reported that Tottenham wanted to secure a permanent manager to replace Tudor, as opposed to making another interim appointment.

De Zerbi initially wanted to take an extended break from football, as was his goal upon leaving Marseille in February. However, he later changed his mind and made it clear to Tottenham that he would be open to discussing terms.

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He will be tasked with steering Spurs away from an unthinkable relegation to the Championship with only seven games left to save them from the drop.

They are currently 17th in the table, one point clear of the danger zone, but haven't won a single Premier League match since the turn of the year.

Another report from The Guardian suggests that Tottenham have already discussed the potential makeup of De Zerbi's backroom staff.

If he manages to keep them in the Premier League, it would spell the end of a potential return for Mauricio Pochettino.

The former Spurs manager is currently in charge of the USA and is preparing to lead them into a home World Cup this summer.

However, his long-term future is less certain and he recently admitted that he misses the fast-paced and competitive nature of the Premier League.

It comes just two days after Tottenham announced the departure of Tudor by mutual consent, with the Croatian spending just 44 days in charge.

In a statement, they said: "We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for head coach Igor Tudor to leave the club with immediate effect.

"Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of goalkeeping coach and physical coach.

"We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly.

"We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time. An update on a new head coach will be provided in due course."