Tottenham transfer news: Chelsea now leading Spurs in Pedro Porro race

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Chelsea are now reportedly leading the race to sign Sporting Lisbon defender Pedro Porro despite Tottenham being heavily linked with the 23-year-old right-back in recent weeks.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the west London side are the closest to agreeing on a deal to sign the fullback this month, that’s despite Tottenham’s strong interest in Porro, with the report stating that Antonio Conte is ‘crazy’ about singing the Sporting star this month.

Both Premier League clubs are eager to add in the right-back position this January, with Porro quickly emerging himself as an ideal target for Chelsea and Tottenham based on his form for Sporting both the Primeira Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

With a release clause of €40m (£34m), as well, Porro would be a relatively cheap signing compared to other fullbacks Tottenham and Chelsea have been linked to in recent weeks, yet it now appears that the Blues are making strong progress in trying to bring the Sporting talent back to England.

Indeed, Porro was once on Manchester City’s books but never made an official appearance for Pep Guardiola’s side before being sent out on loan to Sporting, a deal that eventually became permanent last summer. And now, Chelsea are in the driver’s seat to land the Spaniard.

With Todd Boehly’s scattergun of money still in operation this January, Porro would be quite a good addition for the Blues, with the deal also having the side effect of annoying Tottenham given how invested they and Conte are in trying to bring the Sporting defender to north London.

Chelsea signing Pedro Porro will fuel tensions between Tottenham and Conte

Chelsea and Tottenham’s rivalry is one that has grown in intensity every single year, and the west London side now beating Spurs to Porro would only add fuel to current tensions between the two clubs, with Conte, in particular, likely to be fuming with the deal.

As we know, the Italian manager is eager to bring Porro to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and missing out on the defender to a former club and now Premier League rival in Chelsea will do little to calm Conte’s nerves, which are already running in overdrive.