Tottenham Hotspur have reached a ‘verbal agreement’ with Sporting Lisbon right-back Pedro Porro, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.
Spurs have been pursuing the 23-year-old for quite some time, with it being reported at the beginning of January that they were closing in on a deal worth £35m, although negotiations have since stalled.
Sporting have given Tottenham the ultimatum that the Spaniard will only be able to leave if the £39.9m release clause is met, which Daniel Levy currently appears unwilling to do, although there is still hope that the deal will go through.
According to Galetti, who spoke to GIVEMESPORT, the player himself has reached an agreement with Tottenham about the transfer.
The journalist said: “There’s a verbal agreement, a general understanding between Tottenham and the player. The main issue at this stage is the position of Sporting. Sporting don’t want to discuss him. The only way to buy him is to pay the release clause, which is set at €45m.”
TIF thoughts on Porro to Tottenham…
It is fantastic news that Porro appears willing to complete a move to Tottenham, as he would offer so much more to Antonio Conte going forward than the Italian’s current right wing-back options.
The 23-year-old has averaged 1.43 successful dribbles per 90 in the past year, while he has also weighed in with 3.64 touches per game in the attacking penalty area. The latter average ranks in the 99th percentile compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, ahead of both Emerson Royal (91st) and Matt Doherty (97th).
Lauded as a ‘baller‘ by journalist Jack Collins, the right wing-back would be an excellent addition to Conte’s squad, and he would likely take little time to adjust to the Tottenham manager’s preferred formation.
He is used to playing in a three-at-the-back system with Sporting, with the Portuguese club utilising that style in every game so far this season.