Tottenham have finally made a breakthrough in their talks with Sporting Lisbon to sign defender Pedro Porro on a first loan deal.
The move is now close to being finalized after intensive discussions and there is growing optimism that the transfer will be completed before the deadline. The deal will be an initial loan of £5m with an obligation to buy for a fee of £39m.
Porro flew to London in the early hours of Tuesday morning and a deal could be agreed shortly, with the winger due to undergo his medical at Tottenham on Deadline.
Spurs are believed to be making structured payments for the £39million fee – the defender’s release clause – with the move becoming permanent from July 1.
Sporting’s Pedro Porro against Tottenham in the Champions League this season
Tottenham are also giving up 15% of their sell clause for Marcus Edwardswho moved from Tottenham to Portuguese football in 2019.
Edwards joined Vitoria from Guimaraes that year, before joining Sporting in January last year.
Meanwhile, the Tottenham right-back Matt Doherty is expected to join Atletico Madrid on loan.
Porro in, Doherty out
Sky Sports News’ Michael Bridge reports live from Tottenham’s training ground on Tuesday morning:
“Spurs fans were waking up yesterday to read ‘deal off’. They are waking up this morning to ‘deal on’!”
“Tottenham were back in negotiations with Sporting all day yesterday. It is my understanding that Sporting moved the goal posts late on Sunday night when Spurs believed an agreement had been reached. this week-end.
“They have settled the fee structure and Marcus Edwards – a former Tottenham player at Sporting – has renegotiated a potential selling fee if he leaves Sporting in the future.
“Porro flew to London around 3am this morning so he will hopefully be a Spurs player for the next few hours.
“I am told that he is very excited to join this football club.
“I can also confirm that Matt Doherty is joining Atletico Madrid on loan – it’s a direct loan until the end of the season, I understand, with no options or obligations. Doherty is heading to La Liga.”
Analysis: A major upgrade to a key position
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright:
Antonio Conte’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system requires effective wingers and while Ivan Perisic has strengthened his left side, his right side has been neglected. So far.
Pedro Porro is set to arrive at Spurs having emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting young players in the role with Sporting Lisbon, scoring nine goals and providing 13 assists in 67 Primeira Liga appearances since joining from Girona in 2019.
He helped the Portuguese side to a league and cup double in his first season at the club and that success gave him the chance to test himself against Champions League opponents, including Spurs this season, and the Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City last season.
He rose to that challenge, proving his ability to excel at the highest level both in possession and out of possession, but it is his attacking threat that is key to his appeal to Conte and Spurs.
So far this season, Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty have managed just two goals and one assist between them in a combined total of 28 Premier League appearances.
The Brazilian has been the first choice for most of the campaign and a closer look at the numbers shows the stark contrast between his output and Porro’s even more clearly.
Porro has created seven times as many chances per 90 minutes as Emerson and his numbers of successful assists, crosses, shots and dribbles are also considerably higher. He represents a significant upgrade for Spurs in a crucial position.
Spence close to Rennes loan, Gil joins Sevilla
reindeer are close to agreeing a deal with Tottenham to sign the right-back Grandpa Spence.
The deal would be a simple loan with no option to buy.
Meanwhile, the Spurs winner Bryan Gil saw his loan increase to Seville confirmed just before the day of the deadline.
Tottenham’s Bryan Gil has joined Sevilla on loan
There is no purchase option, which means the winger will return to Spurs, where his contract runs until 2026, this summer. The 21-year-old joined Tottenham from the LaLiga club in 2021 in a £21.6million move which also included Erik Lamela’s move to Sevilla as part of the deal. However, Gil only made 13 appearances for Spurs, having also spent time on loan at Valencia last season.
The move comes after new winger Arnaut Danjuma made his debut in Tottenham’s 3-0 win at Preston at the weekend.
Gil was disappointed with Danjuma’s arrival. He believed he had done enough to impress the coaches in recent weeks, performing well in a 4-0 win at Crystal Palace earlier this month.
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