Pedro Porro to Tottenham: How wonderkid decision unlocked transfer

Suraj Radia

• 30 Jan 2023 16:30 CST
• 2 min read

Tottenham’s pursuit of Pedro Porro is back on after the club reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon, having previously seen the deal on the verge of collapse.

Porro had agreed personal terms and looked set to join Spurs on Monday after they agreed to pay Sporting’s £40 million asking price, however final negotiations over transaction fees caused the deal to be in jeopardy.

The 23-year-old missed training to force the move through after initially being told by Sporting that he could leave the club but he is now set to travel to London for a medical after Spurs resolved the dispute.

DETAILS: Bellerin to Sporting and Porro to Spurs to be completed on deadline day

Tottenham agreed to waive a portion of the sell-on fee owed to them by Sporting for winger Marcus Edwards, who left Spurs for Portugal in 2019.

Edwards joined Sporting from Vitoria de Guimaraes last January and Spurs were thought to be entitled to 50% of the future fee the Portuguese side would receive for him but the percentage has now been lowered to pave way for the Porro deal.

Porro: From Man City to Spurs

Sporting will replace Porro with Hector Bellerin from Arsenal while Spurs are set to loan out right-back Djed Spence to Rennes with no option to buy in order to register their new signing in their squad.

Porro will join Spurs ahead of their game against his former side Manchester City on the weekend, who had signed him in 2019 before selling him to Sporting last summer.

City were thought to retain a €20m buy-back on Porro after selling him for €8.5m but the Premier League side opted against triggering the clause, allowing Spurs a clear run at their top target.

CLOSE CALL: How Man City could have hijacked Tottenham transfer

Porro didn’t make an appearance for City despite reportedly paying Girona £11m for him, with the Spaniard instead spending time on loan at Real Valladolid before a two-year spell at Sporting prior to his permanent move.

The right-back is known for his set pieces and attacking play down the flank, scoring 12 goals in 98 games for Sporting, and received his one and only cap for Spain in 2021.