Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim remains confident that £40 million Pedro Porro will stay in Portugal despite ongoing interest from Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur, speaking to Desporto.
On the back of Thursday’s dispiriting collapse at the Etihad Stadium – Manchester City emulating their bitter rivals’ fabled comeback from 2001 – this is the last thing Spurs supporters needed to hear. Talk about kicking a manager while he’s down.
Pedro Porro, arguably Antonio Conte’s number one January target, is increasingly likely to be a Sporting Lisbon player come February 1st. At least, that is the view of Sporting coach Amorim anyway.
“I can’t guarantee anything, but I don’t think he’ll leave,” says Amorim, who guided the Lisbon giants to the Primeira Liga title in 2020/21.
Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of signing Pedro Porro look slim
Of course, Tottenham can take the matter out of Sporting’s hand by triggering the £40 million release clause in Porro’s contract. Suggestions from Fabrizio Romano that Spurs have had a player-plus-cash swap bid rejected, however, will hardly raise hopes that the one-time Man City prospect will be returning to England over the next week-and-a-half.
“They’ll have to pay 45 million euros,” Amorim adds. “Otherwise (Porro) won’t leave in this winter market.”
Porro, capped once by Spain, spent three years as a Man City player before joining Sporting permanently for a bargain £7 million last summer. Since then, one of Europe’s most exciting wing-backs has scored twice and set up 10 more goals in Portugal, showcasing the kind of creativity that appears to make him an ideal fit for Conte’s 3-4-2-1 formation.
According to A Bola, however, Sporting and Tottenham remain poles apart in negotiations as things stand.
That 4-2 capitulation in the North West on Thursday night, meanwhile, was their third defeat in four Premier League games, following Sunday’s 2-0 loss at home to rivals Arsenal and that shock reverse against Unai Emery’s rejuvenated Aston Villa side.
There is now a five point gap separating Tottenham in fifth and Newcastle United in fourth.
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