Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of the Sporting CP defender Pedro Porro.
According to a report from The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur’s move for Pedro Porro is now off after Portuguese club Sporting CP decided to reject the terms of a proposed deal.
The Spanish defender was expected to complete a €45 million move to Tottenham before the end of the transfer window after the two clubs secured a verbal agreement regarding the payment terms. However, it appears that Sporting want the payment immediately, and Tottenham are unwilling to give in to their demands.
It will be interesting to see if Tottenham can convince Sporting to sell the player to them before the January transfer window closes. The 23-year-old has done quite well for the Portuguese club this season scoring three goals and picking up 11 assists across all competitions. He would have been a major upgrade on players like Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty at Tottenham.
Antonio Conte’s system is heavily reliant on attacking full-backs, and the Spaniard would have been a key player for the Tottenham manager. Apart from his quality as a defender, Porro can operate as a winger as well and his versatility would have been an added bonus.
Pedro Porro 🚨⚪️ #THFC
Tottenham had medical tests booked today in order to complete the deal, agreed on Saturday as player said goodbye to the fans.
Sporting changed details/conditions of the deal right before signing documents.
Talks continue today to resolve the issues. pic.twitter.com/Fx4cuRSmsw
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 30, 2023
Tottenham have been trying to address their full-back issues since the start of the month. And Porro had been their top target this month. So missing out on Porro at the last minute will come as a damaging blow for them.
Tottenham are hoping to secure a top-four finish and qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. Conte will be aware of the fact that he must strengthen his squad properly and plug the gaps in the side in order to finish in the top four.
Tottenham have done well to improve their attack with the signing of Arnaut Danjuma. And they will now need to convince Sporting to sell Pedro Porro before the window closes.
The Spanish defender will be disappointed with the situation as well. He would have been looking to make an immediate impact in the Premier League during the second half of the season. He will hope that the two clubs can resolve their differences soon.
