Tottenham Hotspur are now trying to "gauge the interest" from London rivals Chelsea in right-back Pedro Porro, amid rumours of a Premier League switch, transfer insider Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT.
The 23-year-old has impressed for Portuguese club Sporting CP and Jones reiterated Tottenham's desire to sign Porro this month.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news - Pedro Porro
According to The Athletic, Tottenham have identified right-back Porro as their number-one January target, with a view to striking up a deal with Primeira Liga outfit Sporting.
Spurs have been told by Sporting, the report reads, Porro will be available, but only if they meet the rumoured £40 million release clause.
Despite this, Spurs remain reluctant to fork out the full asking price, instead trying to strike up a deal with the side from Lisbon.
It comes after weeks of public admissions from manager Ruben Amorim, who has pleaded to the Sporting board not to let Porro leave the Portuguese capital, unless the release clause is matched.
Such dilly-dallying in the market has cost Spurs in the past and it looks as if the north Londoners will now face competition for Porro's signature.
The same Athletic report hints that both Barcelona and Chelsea are eyeing up the right-sided defender, with the latter's interest genuine, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
In a recent interview with GMS, Phillips revealed Chelsea were "in talks" with Porro's representatives, as they look to bolster their options on the right-hand side of the defence.
What has Dean Jones said about Porro to Tottenham?
A sought-after talent, Porro is catching the eye of Europe's biggest clubs and transfer insider Jones hints that Spurs may have competition on their hands.
On the right-back, Jones said: “I think they're also trying to figure out if there's even any competition to sign this guy.
"Chelsea have been linked. I'm not sure Tottenham are totally convinced whether to take the interest seriously.
"I mean, they've got to be careful, because obviously, we thought the same thing with Mykhailo Mudryk, we thought that might just be a little play to tease Arsenal.
"But ultimately, they've gone ahead and actually signed him. So I think Tottenham are trying to gauge the interest of Chelsea right now, too.”
Would Porro be a worthwhile signing for Tottenham?
Without question, yes. Porro has already demonstrated in his 150 career appearances how useful he can be, with the 23-year-old tipped to have a successful career in the game.
While healthy in numbers, Tottenham lack real quality in the right wing-back role, with Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal unable to nail down a starting position and summer-signing Djed Spence having played a total of four Premier League minutes since arriving (Transfermarkt).
Porro, should Spurs land him this month, could galvanise Tottenham's campaign by adding an attacking threat down the right-hand side.
In his 23 appearances for Sporting this season, Porro has notched up an impressive 12 goal contributions, indicating a clear creative spark from defence (Transfermarkt).