Tottenham Hotspur are currently winning the race to sign an attacking full-back many of their Premier League rivals would be envious about, according to reports.
There’s uncertainty in the air around Tottenham at the moment, with a Europa League final against Manchester United to prepare for but the prospect of finishing as low down as 17th in the Premier League table meaning Ange Postecoglou’s future is anything but safe.
However, Spurs are still being linked with new targets regardless of who’s in charge of them next season. The latest update regards a right-back they are supposedly in pole position for.
According to Give Me Sport, Spurs are ‘leading the race’ to bring Monaco’s Vanderson to the Premier League.
A deal is there to be done at £30m and Spurs are showing the strongest interest out of all their rivals, the report claims.
Vanderson had also been mentioned as a potential replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool, but their focus has shifted firmly to Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong.
That doesn’t mean that Spurs will have a free run at Vanderson, though. Barcelona have joined the race for the Brazil international, according to the report, and there could be competition from closer to home for Spurs.
Indeed, Manchester United are weighing up a move for the 23-year-old, whose representatives are also tempted to reach out to Manchester City.
Of all these clubs, though, Spurs are currently at the front of the queue. They would just need to convince Monaco to sell a player who’s still under contract until 2028.
What about Pedro Porro and Djed Spence?
Of course, Spurs already have a clear starter at right-back in the shape of Pedro Porro, who has been backed up by Djed Spence this season.
Porro has ranked in the 99th percentile of Premier League full-backs for crosses into the penalty area per 90 minutes this season, as well as the 97th for shot-creating actions and the 92nd for blocks.
The Spaniard’s contract is still valid until 2028, so he might be wondering about his place in Spurs’ plans if they’re looking to bring in another right-back.
According to Give Me Sport, though, any addition of Vanderson would be to provide competition for Porro, rather than replace him.
That may lead to questions about the future of Spence, although he has shown his worth at left-back more often this season.
There’s no mention in the latest update of what the consequences would be for the former Middlesbrough man, whose contract is also due to last until 2028.
Nor does Archie Gray get a mention, but he is a midfielder by trade and has covered at centre-back more often than right-back since his move from Leeds United.
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Vanderson vs Porro: Key stats compared
How Vanderson’s Ligue 1 stats this season compare to Porro’s in the Premier League