Porto are fighting to keep star full back Alex Telles amid interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, Porto manager Sergio Conceicao is desperate to keep left back Alex Telles at the club this summer amid key departures.
Porto won the Portuguese league titles for the first time since 2013 this past season, as Conceicao led his side to glory in his first season at the helm.
However, as Porto have known all too well in recent years, success brings interest in key players, and after losing the likes of Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez, Danilo, Joao Moutinho, Alex Sandro and Hulk in recent years, they’re no strange to such a situation.
Now, O Jogo report that Porto and manager Conceicao are desperate to keep hold of Telles, given that they are set to lose two right backs to Premier League clubs this summer.
Ricardo Pereira and Diego Dalot are set for Leicester City and Manchester United respectively, and with problems on the right flank as a result, Conceicao is determined to ensure Telles stays and doesn’t cause issues on the left of his defence.
The problem for Porto is that Telles does have a release clause in his contract, as any club can swoop in and sign the Brazilian star for a fee of €40million (£35million) this summer.
Telles is contracted until 2021, but Porto may now look to agree new terms with the left back in a bid to get that release clause increased and block any summer exit for the player.
Sky Sports recently claimed that Tottenham are looking at Telles as they consider left back options, and they can ruin Porto’s plans to keep Telles in one fell swoop by activating that release clause.
Whether Spurs would cough up £35million remains to be seen, but having hit 20 assists for Porto this past season, Spurs and manager Mauricio Pochettino would be wise to target a deal for the 25-year-old if Danny Rose departs, and they can bypass Porto’s stance by activating his release clause this summer.
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