Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing FC Porto full-back, Ricardo Pereira. The Portuguese right-back is in good form for FC Porto. He is being shown interest by Tottenham’s arch-rivals Arsenal and Manchester United. The 24-year-old is playing well the entire season and he apparently has a €20 million buyout clause in his contract. This has made him a luring option for many clubs with English teams ready to bring him in.
Starting with Manchester United, they have three players in the wings. They have Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian and Phil Jones. Jones is not a regular fullback and Darmian has been in terrible form this season. Valencia has been excellent and led the charge for United. However, with Valencia now north of 30, they will need a new player in the team and Pereira can be a good option.
As for Arsenal, they have Hector Bellerin in the team who is and will be the first choice fullback at the Emirates for a long while. Calum Chambers is the backup option at Arsenal meaning that the Gunners need a new player in the team. Whether Pereira who is excellent himself will be ready to play as a backup at Arsenal remains to be seen.
Coming to Tottenham Hotspur, Mauricio Pochettino’s men did make a move for Pereira last year as well. However, their €15 million bid for the Portuguese failed and fell short. Instead, Daniel Levy moved in for Serge Aurier from Paris Saint Germain. Having lost the talented Kyle Walker to Manchester City, Aurier was expected to replace him at Spurs.
However, he has failed to be consistent enough and even though he has been excellent in some matches, the French defender has been horrible in some crucial moments. This has also seen backup option Kieran Trippier given some crucial minutes, in fact, Trippier has played more.
This means that Pochettino is still unsatisfied with his options at right back and will want to fix the mess by bringing in a new guy. This would mean that Pereira with a cheap buyout clause would be an excellent fit.
Moreover, he is young and fast. This makes him a perfect fit for Spurs. He also has the tenacity to attack relentlessly and play a fast tempo and physical game. All that remains now is for Spurs to make a substantial deal to convince Pereira.
