Tottenham Hotspur are unlikely to bring Carlos Vinicius back to the club this summer and will instead attempt to sign another back-up striker, according to Sky Sports

What are the latest Tottenham transfer rumours? 

The report claims that Spurs have been left unimpressed with the 26-year-old forward who was thought to have been Jose Mourinho's top target during last year's delayed summer transfer window. 

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A £36m permanent deal was believed to have been agreed though the North London outfit are reportedly to act on that and will look elsewhere in the months ahead. 

How many goals has Vinicius scored this season? 

Clearly, the move hasn't worked out but it's not as if the Brazilian striker has been handed a fair crack of the whip. 

Indeed, he's only been given 303 minutes of Premier League action this season with just two of his nine appearances coming from the start. 

10 goals in 24 appearances across all competitions is a solid enough record though only one of these came in the Premier League, with the rest struck against the likes of Marine, Ludogorets and Wolfsberger in the FA Cup and Europa League respectively. 

With all due respect, that is not exactly the kind of form worthy of a £36m fee. 

Why do Tottenham want to sign another striker? 

Spurs have a problem here. 

None of Vinicius, Fernando Llorente or Vincent Janssen have adequately been able to provide cover and competition for Kane, one of the elite marksmen in the game. Obviously, that is no easy feat and Kane has even rushed back when not fully fit, making it difficult for anyone trying to step into his shoes, though it has been somewhat of a curse in recent years.

Southampton star Danny Ings has previously been linked with a move to the club as he prepares to enter the final year of his contract on the South Coast and, given his experience at Premier League level, perhaps he'd be the answer. 

Still, convincing Ings - who is the main man at St Mary's - to come in and presumably operate behind Kane in the pecking order may be difficult, particularly as he's already done that at Liverpool. 

What has Noel Whelan said about Vinicius? 

Speaking to Football Insider in February, pundit Noel Whelan suggested Mourinho simply didn't trust the forward. 

“It just shows that he doesn’t trust him because if he did it would be a like-for-like, wouldn’t it? Harry Kane off, the more sensible option there, or the more common one, would be okay striker off, striker on and it didn’t happen like that," he said following Spurs' defeat to Liverpool. 

“To me, when you’ve got a striker out there, not to choose him, I mean that’s going to be a massive, massive blow to Vinicius to see that happening. He must be wondering what do I need to do and why are you not choosing me?"