Tottenham have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Sporting CP wing-back Pedro Porro this January as the Portuguese club have identified a replacement. It comes after seemingly breakthrough talks to land the Spaniard in the next week before the close of the transfer window.
The addition of the 23-year-old could be key for Spurs boss Antonio Conte, given the importance of wing-backs to his preferred tactical system. Ivan Perisic has been the ideal option on the left, while the right has seen a mix-and-match of either Emerson Royal or Matt Doherty as football.london understands youngster Djed Spence is allowed to leave the club on loan this month.
Describing his perfect wing-back in August, Conte said: "The wing-back is really important if you play with three at the back. They're important because it's no good if they are too defensive because in this position you need to have quality. I like to have players that in the past was a winger because in this situation they are good at one vs one."
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The Italian hasn't quite managed to extract that out of his players on the right flank so far, which explains the move for Porro this month. The initial stance from Sporting was that the £39.5million release clause was paid in full, meaning that all of the payment had to be made immediately.
However, reports of breakthrough talks on Wednesday claim that the north London side managed to negotiate a similar overall fee but in instalments instead. There's a growing confidence that the move will go through as the Athletic reports that the Portuguese club are eyeing replacements.
The report claims that Tariq Lamptey is an option being eyed, with contact made over a switch in the next week or so. It remains to be seen if the transfer will be tied up, but it seems increasingly likely.
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