Back
Tottenham have set their sights on Chelsea’s Malo Gusto as they step up their search for a right-back, with uncertainty surrounding Pedro Porro’s future.
Despite extending his Tottenham Hotspur contract last summer, full-back Pedro Porro continues to attract interest from Spain.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are both keen on landing Porro in the winter transfer window, but completing a deal for the Spaniard will not be straightforward.
Spurs Web has relayed that Tottenham are determined to demand a premium for the defender, whom they are not willing to let go midway through the season.
A world record fee of £75 million has been set as Spurs’ valuation of their World Cup-winning right-back.
While Tottenham’s stance is firm, Porro is understood to be open to a move back to Spain. Although no offers have yet been made, fresh reports suggest Spurs are considering right-back options, and they have set their sight on a Chelsea right-back.
According to Flashscore, Tottenham are among five clubs monitoring Chelsea full-back Malo Gusto.
The Frenchman was heavily linked with a move in the summer, with Manchester City one of the sides keen on signing him. However, Chelsea’s valuation of €80 million (£69.6 million) put City off.
It is now understood that Chelsea are reassessing that valuation, which could make Gusto available for a January transfer. Should a move not materialise in the winter, a summer switch remains possible as Gusto continues to struggle for regular first-team football at Stamford Bridge.
Spurs are joined by Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool in monitoring the situation, though any move will depend heavily on Chelsea’s conditions for a transfer.
Spurs could certainly do with a new right-back, regardless of whether Porro is sold. Djed Spence previously offered cover for the Spaniard, but he left last summer, and Tottenham have yet to replace him.
Gusto could provide valuable depth behind Porro. However, given the fierce rivalry between Spurs and Chelsea, it would be intriguing to see whether the Frenchman would make the switch across London.
It would also be surprising to see Tottenham spend so much money on a back-up, which makes Gusto more likely as a potential Porro replacement. Hopefully, Spurs can convince the Spaniard to stay and instead invest £20m-£30m on a steady back-up from another top five league, or the Championship.