OPINION
Tottenham are reportedly plotting a bid to sign Benfica forward Jota this summer – and Daniel Levy could strike gold if he is able to finalise a deal for the exciting Portuguese youngster.
According to Portuguese news outlet Record, Spurs have already made approaches to sign Jota, but are now ready to follow up their interest in the 20-year-old by submitting a bid.
It is understood that the North London club is considering an offer for the Portugal Under-21 international, but there is a £26.3million release clause in his contract that could mean they would have to splash a lot of money to lure him away from Estadio da Luz.
Jota is clearly a highly-rated young player though and Spurs chairman Levy no doubt sees the potential that is waiting to be unlocked in the forward if he is willing to table an offer for him.
Benfica are known for producing some top youngsters and Jota is the latest one to start making an impression in the first-team this season.
Most of his performances have come in Portugal’s second-tier for Benfica’s B team, where he has made 20 appearances, scored eight goals and supplied eight assists.
He also played in the UEFA Youth League earlier this season when he scored twice in a 3-0 win against Bayern Munich’s youngsters.
In Benfica’s first team, Jota has only played six times this term but all of his appearances came in victories. He played a role in the 3-0 win against Hadjuk Split in the Europa League to help the Portuguese giants reached the quarter-finals, in what has been his most significant contribution to the senior squad yet.
Jota’s also impressed on the international scene with Portugal’s youth sides. He has won the UEFA European Championships at both Under-17 and Under-19 level, winning the top goalscorer award in the latter with five goals in the 2018 tournament.
Because of how impressive the CV of this young player is, it is no surprise to see that Spurs are not the only team in the Premier League to be keeping tabs on him.
The Telegraph reported in March that Liverpool and Arsenal have also been watching over the “highly-rated” wide-forward, who can also play as a striker, so it is imperative that Levy lets Tottenham go in for him as soon as possible.
It might cost a lot of money to pry Jota away from the Portuguese giants but he is clearly worth his weight in gold and could see his value rise exponentially if he was to join Spurs.
Mauricio Pochettino needs to add some real strength in depth to his attack and a young hungry player like Jota is going to benefit a lot more from being a fringe player for a year or so than someone more experienced.