Tottenham are not expected to make Carlos Vinicius' stay at the club a permanent one this summer, according to Football Insider.

Price-tag and salary:

Vinicius is currently on loan from Benfica until the end of the season, and Spurs have the option to sign him for £38m this summer. However, it is claimed that the club have "no plans" to acquire Vinicius permanently, as they believe Benfica's asking price is too high.

Statistics:

The 25-year-old has done well for Spurs in Europe. He has featured regularly in the Europa League, scoring six goals in eight appearances. He also netted a hat-trick against non-league outfit Marine FC back in January.

His game time in the league has been restricted, though. He is some way behind Harry Kane in the pecking order, and has only started one top-flight match this term when the England captain was injured.

In 170 minutes of Premier League action, Vinicius has managed just five shots and is yet to find the back of the net, suggesting that he does not carry anywhere near the threat that Kane does.

Expert opinion:

Despite Vinicius' lack of minutes in the league, Mourinho has still been impressed by the attacker. Speaking last month, as reported by BT Sport, the veteran coach praised Vinicius' mentality.

He said: "To be a striker in the same team as Harry Kane then you need to be a special guy, always motivated, always happy to have one minute, five minutes or start the game. He is giving us what we want.

"In the Premier League he is going to play because we have so many matches that Kane cannot play every match."

Verdict:

Despite promising Vinicius some minutes on the pitch, Mourinho has still been reluctant to use his back-up striker in recent weeks. Vinicius has made just one substitute appearance in Tottenham's last seven league matches.

With this in mind, it seems a sensible decision from the club to not make his move to North London a permanent one. Spending £38m on a player predominantly sitting on the bench would not be a wise investment.

But Daniel Levy deserves credit for the way he has handled the transfer. Spurs' shrewd chairman ensured that the club would always have the option, rather than an obligation, to buy Vinicius in the summer, meaning that they are under no pressure to make Benfica an offer.

Levy took a similar approach with Giovani Lo Celso last season. After impressing in his loan spell, the Argentine midfielder sealed a permanent move midway through the campaign. Levy's policy of trying players before buying them worked in that instance, and it has given him a good idea of Vinicius' capabilities this year as well.

Tottenham need to strengthen their defence this summer and that should be the priority for Levy and Mourinho. Not taking up the option to buy Vinicius should allow them to address this issue instead.