White Hart Lane station 'to be renamed Tottenham Hotspur'
The football club has reportedly won a battle with Transport for London, which had been insisting on a seven-figure fee.
Monday 18 March 2019 13:58, UK
White Hart Lane railway station - near Spurs' new stadium in north London - is reportedly set to be renamed Tottenham Hotspur.
The Premier League club has been lobbying Transport for London (TfL) about the switch for more than two years, The Guardian reported.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan was apparently insisting on the club paying almost £15m for the name change.
But Spurs will not now have to meet that asking price after a "memo of understanding" was agreed, the paper added.
A spokesman for the mayor said that while Mr Khan did not want to set a "precedent of selling off station names", the move offered a "unique brand partnership between TfL and Tottenham Hotspur" that would benefit both.
He added that the change supported "significant investment to create a new sport, leisure and entertainment destination as part of the wider regeneration of the area", and said discussions were ongoing.
A TfL spokeswoman said that "opportunities of this nature are always thoroughly evaluated before completion to ensure that TfL delivers best value for its stakeholders".
Spurs did not respond after being asked for a comment.
The club's new 62,000-seater stadium was due to start hosting matches in September, but was not ready in time.
If forthcoming test events are successful, Spurs' first game at the stadium will be against Crystal Palace on 3 April.
It has been reported that the venue is to be called the Nike Stadium after the sportswear firm bought branding rights, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said a deal had not been agreed.