Tottenham are closing in on their top January target, Pedro Porro, the Sporting right back, after confirming the signing of Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal.
Negotiations over Porro have been back and forth since the start of the month, with Sporting determined to recoup €45 million (£39.7m) – the value of his buyout clause. Spurs have tried to structure a deal that would see them pay less immediately, with a sell-on clause relating to Marcus Edwards discussed.
Spurs are entitled to 40 per cent of any fee Sporting receive for selling Edwards, one of their former players. They have offered to reduce that figure in exchange for paying less for Porro, a Spain international.
The Premier League club failed with an offer for Porro on Wednesday morning but further talks are scheduled for later in the day amid growing optimism that a deal can be finalised. Sporting do not want any players in part-exchange.
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Antonio Conte has been keen to upgrade his options on the right flank and sees Porro as the solution. The 23-year-old has excelled since joining Sporting from Manchester City, initially on loan in 2020 before the Portuguese club made the deal permanent for €8.5 million last summer.
The signing of Danjuma, which includes an option to buy at the end of the season, came after Spurs hijacked Everton’s deal for the Netherlands international. The 25-year-old, who plays mainly as a centre-forward but can also be used off the left or as a second striker, had two seasons at Bournemouth from 2019.
Bournemouth have agreed to sign the left back Matías Viña on loan from Roma with an option to buy. The Uruguay international is due for a medical.
Meanwhile, Brighton have had an offer for Amadou Haidara rejected by RB Leipzig, who have told the midfielder that they do not want to sell him this month.
A clause in the 24-year-old Haidara’s contract allows him to leave the Bundesliga side in the summer. It is anticipated there will be interest from Premier League teams and clubs competing in the Champions League.
Brighton have been informed that Leipzig are not interested in a sale this late in the window, particularly when they are four points below Bayern Munich at the top of the table. Haidara, previously linked with Manchester United and Liverpool, has accepted Leipzig’s stance.
Brighton’s interest in Haidara comes as they begin to look for potential replacements for Moisés Caicedo. Chelsea have had a £55 million bid for Caicedo rejected and are likely to need to offer at least £75 million to tempt Brighton into a sale. The Ecuador international, also targeted by Liverpool, will stay at the Amex Stadium until the summer.
Fulham are close to signing the Arsenal full-back Cédric Soares on loan for the rest of the season. Marco Silva is keen to increase his defensive options and knows Soares well after managing him at Sporting. Talks over the former Southampton player have gone well and it is expected that Fulham will cover the Portugal international’s wages. The loan is not expected to contain an option or obligation to buy.
Soares, who has 18 months on his contract, has struggled for playing time since joining Arsenal two years ago. Mikel Arteta has favoured Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu at right back. However, Silva believes Soares’s experience and versatility would be a good fit for Fulham, who are seventh after losing to Tottenham on Monday. Soares will compete with Kenny Tete for a starting spot.
Fulham have used their quota of two Premier League loans, having taken Shane Duffy from Brighton and Daniel James from Leeds. The deal for Soares cannot go ahead unless they cancel one of those. An alternative would be to sign Duffy or James on a permanent basis.
