Speaking on The Done Deal Show, CBS journalist, Ben Jacobs, has claimed that Chelsea could hijack Tottenham’s move for Pedro Porro if they fail to sign Malo Gusto.
Sporting have been in negotiations with Tottenham throughout January for Porro, but they have stood firm on their €45m asking price which is in line with the player’s release clause.. Chelsea are also in the market for a right wing-back and while they want Gusto, their first bid has been rejected and they have also been linked with Porro.
Chelsea have a tendency to hijack deals late on under the ownership of Todd Boehly, most notably with Mykhaylo Mudryk earlier this month. Chelsea are not afraid to make late moves in the transfer market and they most certainly have the financial power to trigger Porro’s release clause.
Chelsea could hijack this move
Jacobs shared what he knows about Porro.
“Ultimately, they’re finding that the package has to be €45m, and now they’re trying to understand if that’s only by triggering the release clause or if things can be done differently,” Jacobs said.
“What complicates things late in the window is that you start with a target and your rivals are looking at other names, but if Chelsea don’t succeed with Malo Gusto then Tottenham could have a problem and Chelsea may enter the race into the race for Porro, and when you have a high release clause, you may find that someone fancies triggering it to get a deal done.”
“Tottenham need to move quickly to get this one done because if it isn’t completed today or tomorrow, as we head into the weekend and next week, that’s when rivals may start to circle. Porro wants a move to the Premier League, he’s keen on the Spurs move, but speed is of the essence.”
Hurry up
Tottenham are more advanced on the Porro front, but due to his release clause Chelsea could move very quickly if they need to.
Of course, Tottenham can nullify that factor by getting this Porro deal sewn up quickly, but that isn’t looking likely at the moment.
Indeed, according to Bruno Andrade, Spurs are willing to let Porro play in the League Cup final this weekend, meaning that a deal won’t be finalising until early next week – giving Chelsea ample opportunity to move.
With the transfer deadline fast approaching, it remains to be seen what will happen with Porro and whether Chelsea will make a move for the player.
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