Tottenham Hotspur are making their plans for the summer transfer window.
They are clearly in the market for new additions and that cannot really be seen as a surprise.
They have endured a season in which they have struggled for form and have often flattered to deceive at the highest level.
They remain a fair way away from the Champions League places and one has to feel that they need a minor miracle to qualify for Europe’s elite competition, especially after Thursday's 0-0 draw with AFC Bournemouth.
Nevertheless, they are clearly intending to make improvements to manager Jose Mourinho’s squad as the window looms.
It remains to be seen the kind of funds they will have to recruit new signings but, nevertheless, exploratory moves are being made.
According to Mundo Deportivo, as carried by Sport Witness, one such potential acquisition is currently playing for Real Betis in La Liga.
Spurs have done business with Betis before, signing Giovani Lo Celso in the January transfer window, and they could now go in for Emerson.
He is co-owned by Barcelona, and his future is complicated. Indeed, Barca have the option to sign him for €9 million (£8m) and the report states that Betis fear that he will be signed by Barca and then sold on in the same window.
Spurs are said to rate Emerson; the report says that they like him “very much”.
Mourinho only has Serge Aurier as an out-and-out senior right-back, with Kyle Walker-Peters currently on loan at Southampton.
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
Emerson has been an excellent player for Betis.
Still just 21, he has made 30 appearances in La Liga this season, scoring three goals and registering a total of five assists.
So impressive has his form been, he was capped by Brazil last year and Spurs certainly need a right-back.
Aurier is an error-prone figure and bringing in reinforcements in that area, and giving the Ivory Coast international some genuine competition, would be a sensible move in the transfer window.
One cannot imagine that Emerson would cost a fortune – Barca would likely just want a profit – and Spurs should look to strike a deal if they can.