Former MK Dons player Kevin Danso to stay at Spurs after making loan deal permanent

Former MK Dons academy player Kevin Danso will stay with Spurs after the Premier League side opted to activate an option in his loan deal to make his move permanent.

The 26-year-old Austrian international defender had joined Spurs on loan from French side Lens in February, and the North London club have now opted to activate an option in his deal to keep him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Danso will join Spurs for an undisclosed fee reported to be around £21million and he has signed a contract of undisclosed length at the club.

The announcement comes on the day when Spurs published their retained list, which confirmed the departures of out-of-contract players Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilon and Alfie Whiteman, as well as the departure of loan player Timo Werner and the exit of midfielder Pierre-Emilie Hojbjerg, whose loan move to Marseille will be turned into a full transfer.

Danso made 15 appearances in all competitions after signing for Spurs, including an appearance as a substitute after they beat Manchester United in the Europa League final, earning their first major trophy since 2008 and qualification to next season’s Champions League.

Danso didn’t make a senior appearance for MK Dons but spent several years in the youth academy set-up with the English club after moving to Milton Keynes as a child.

He would leave MK Dons to join German side Augsburg in 2014 as a teenager, making his competitive debut with the side from southern Germany.

After loan spells with Southampton and Fortuna Dusseldorf, he made a permanent move to join French side Lens in 2021, before his consequent move back to England to join Spurs in 2025.