Tottenham Hotspur have already been in talks with Corinthians over a potential move for 18-year-old winger Rodrigo Varanda, according to the print edition of The Sunday Sun (page 63). 

What is the latest transfer news involving Rodrigo Varanda?

They claim scouts from Spurs have watched the teenager in action and have been suitably impressed. 

Indeed, talks over a deal are believed to have taken place over a potential deal worth around £8.5m already. 

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Who is Rodrigo Varanda? 

The 18-year-old made his breakthrough this season with Brazilian football outlet Meu Timao revealing he initially joined the Sao Paulo giants in 2013 and made his debut earlier this year in the Paulista Championship against Red Bull Bragantino. 

Under contract until January 2022, Corinthians are believed to be keen to extend his deal before selling him on to avoid losing him on a free. 

How many goals has Varanda scored this season? 

According to Transfermarkt data, the teenager has scored once so far, with that goal coming during his second top-level game against Palmeiras, traditionally the most successful side in terms of Brazilian championships won. 

He then recorded his only assist of the campaign in the following game against Ponte Preta. Interestingly, he's also noted to have played four different positions this season too, operating on either wing, as well as up front and in central midfield. 

SofaScore data suggests Varanda has averaged 0.8 key passes per game, as well as 1.5 successful dribbles, which would put him joint-fifth and joint-second in the Spurs squad this season (via WhoScored) though, clearly, a move to the Premier League may take some getting used to. 

Still, those numbers are certainly promising for a player only just breaking through. 

Are Tottenham looking to sign young players? 

The Guardian recently claimed that part of Daniel Levy's criteria when it came to looking for a new manager following the sacking of Jose Mourinho was for candidates to have a proven track-record of nurturing burgeoning talent. 

Indeed, back in September, the club officially announced the appointment of Steve Hitchen as Technical Performance Director after previously working as a chief scout, with his 'responsibility for scouting, performance and recruitment analysis and youth recruitment'. 

Hitchen forms part of a new Football Board headed up by chairman Daniel Levy, so there does appear to have been a revamping of their youth set-up behind the scenes. 

With that in mind, perhaps it's of little surprise to see Spurs linked with promising young players.