Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for the Sporting CP defender Pedro Porro for a while now.
The 23-year-old is reportedly a priority target for Antonio Conte this month and Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that the Londoners have submitted an opening bid to sign the player.
The Spanish full-back has been outstanding for the Portuguese club this season scoring twice and picking up 10 assists across all competitions.
The defender was a handful against Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League group stages as well.
Apparently, Sporting CP have decided to turn down Tottenham’s offer and they are holding out for a fee of around €45 million. The Premier League side had apparently offered guaranteed money for the Spaniard along with a player included in the deal.
Excl: Tottenham have made an opening bid for Pedro Porro including one player plus guaranteed money. Sporting have rejected this formula. 🚨⚪️ #THFC
Negotiations will continue as Sporting keep asking €45m clause but Spurs are insisting with player keen on move. pic.twitter.com/WDChH894KR
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 18, 2023
It seems that Sporting are not keen on a player plus cash deal for their prized young defender and it remains to be seen whether Tottenham are prepared to trigger his release clause before the January window closes.
There is no doubt that the Spaniard has the potential to develop into a top-class player and the €45 million outlay could look like a bargain in the long run. However, it is also true that the reported asking price is quite steep for a player who is yet to prove himself outside of Portuguese football.
It remains to be seen whether Tottenham can convince Sporting to sell the player for a reasonable price this month.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is known for his shrewd negotiating skills and it seems highly unlikely that he will sanction the transfer unless Sporting are willing to scale down their demands in the next few days.
