Chelsea are actively pursuing Southampton flyer Cedric Soares, potentially bad news for Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham Hotspur have a number of irons in the fire as they attempt to locate a replacement for Kyle Walker on the right hand side of their defence. The problem is that each and every one of their targets appears extremely difficult to sign.
Football Espana reported on Sunday that Valencia rejected an offer of £20 million for Portuguese flyer Joao Cancelo. Meanwhile, although L’Equipe claim that Spurs have an agreement in place with PSG’s Serge Aurier, so too do Inter Milan and Juventus.
In the absence of the injured Kieran Tripper, Kyle Walker-Peters cut a figure of maturity on his Premier League debut against Newcastle United on Sunday but, with bigger tests coming up in both domestic and European competition, Spurs’ right hand side looks far weaker now than last season.
Therefore, reports in The Telegraph that Premier League rivals Chelsea are stepping up their pursuit of Southampton’s Cedric Soares may be cause for concern.
The report claims that The Blues, who are desperately attempting to add depth to their squad, will offer up to £20 million for the criminally underrated Portuguese international.
However, if The Mirror is to be believed, Cedric was another player Tottenham had identified as a possible replacement for big-money Manchester City signing Walker, despite the former Sporting Lisbon defender agreeing a new contract until 2020 just last season.
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Valued between £15 and £20 million, per The Telegraph, Cedric could come cheaper than both Cancelo and Aurier, as well as Porto’s Ricardo Pereira, who The Sun claim Tottenham scouted at the weekend.
Furthermore, he has two years Premier League experience under his belt and would be a natural fit for Mauricio Pochettino’s system, relying heavily on the attacking thrust provided by full-backs.
However, with Spurs yet to spend a penny in the transfer window, losing Cedric to Chelsea wouldn’t sate the frustration of many supporters.
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