Reports state Tottenham Hotspur had an offer rejected for Porto full-back Ricardo Pereira, who thrived last season in Ligue 1 with Nice.
Kyle Walker may have fallen out of favour during his final few months at Tottenham Hotspur, left out of the starting XI for the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea as well as the North London derby clash with Arsenal a few days later.
But Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino will still be more than aware of the need to replace the England intentional after he departed for Manchester City for a stunning £53 million, as reported by The Guardian.
Walker became the most expensive defender in the world – until City broke the bank again to land Benjamin Mendy
Kieran Trippier was in sublime form in the second half of last season, his energy and pin-point crossing crucial in the final third. However, the fact he is currently backed up by Kyle Walker-Peters, who is yet to make a senior appearance despite his undoubted talent, suggests right-back is a position Spurs need to reinforce before the window is out.
And Spurs may be facing a race against time if they see Porto’s Ricardo Pereira as the ideal like-for-like replacement for Walker in North London.
The 23-year-old is yet to make an impact at FC Porto but enjoyed a superb season on loan at Ligue 1 surprise packages Nice last season, evolving from a lively winger to a dynamic full-back. Ricardo started 23 games, scoring twice and setting up four more, as Nice upset the odds to qualify for the Champions League.
With Ricardo’s buyout clause standing at £22 million, The Standard reports that is well within budget for Spurs and it appears that Porto are set to take action.
Ricardo made his breakthrough as Portugal reached the final of the Under-21 European Championships in 2015
A Bola (25th July, page 44) claims that Porto are now attempting to increase Ricardo’s release clause to ensure they earn top dollar from one of their most in-demand players. They did something very similar last summer, raising Andre Silva’s clause to around £55 million before earning a huge fee from his sale to AC Milan.
Therefore, it appears that Spurs may have waited too long.
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