They say good things come to those who wait – and Spurs fans will certainly hope that proves to be true when it comes to the club’s pursuit of Vincent Janssen.

Five transfer windows have passed since Tottenham last signed a specialist striker – if the misfiring Roberto Soldado can be described as such.

Since that summer of 2013, Soldado and the similarly enigmatic Emmanuel Adebayor have departed, and the decision to wait until the very last minute to attempt to sign West Brom’s Saido Berahino last year backfired, leaving Harry Kane as the only out-and-out forward at the club throughout the 2015/16 campaign.

Kane has done his best to prove that he does not need any help, winning the Golden Boot last season after scoring 25 top-flight goals.

However, his uncharacteristically poor performances at Euro 2016 – particularly in England’s embarrassing last-16 defeat against Iceland – have underlined the fear that he will eventually suffer a slump, leaving the Lilywhites short of goals.

Tottenham have consequently been chasing AZ Alkmaar’s Netherlands international Janssen, who topped the scoring charts in the Dutch Eredivisie last season and has scored three times in his five games for his country.

The 22-year-old is an exciting target but Spurs have been characteristically slow to fill the vacancy in their striking department and the negotiations have dragged on. Alkmaar’s sporting director Max Huiberts said today (Wednesday): “We once received a bid from Tottenham Hotspur that we have not accepted. Then we heard nothing more.”

After initially hoping to pay around £12million, it appears Tottenham may have to pay about £17m. Alkmaar are thought to be demanding 20m euros and, after Britain’s exit from Europe, this is no time to be converting sterling into euros.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is known to be a tough negotiator and his business skills have helped the Lilywhites to punch above their weight over a number of years. A £17m cheque requires some thought, despite the riches in the Premier League.

But, when it comes to their threadbare forward line, Tottenham cannot afford to play the waiting game for too much longer.