Tottenham’s Souza has quickly seen reports of a Benfica move dismissed in Portugal. This came just hours after claims emerged in Brazil that the Lisbon club had tabled a €20m (£17.4m) offer for the left-back.
As we covered earlier, Brazilian outlets Diário do Peixe and Terra all reported Benfica had approached Spurs for the 20-year-old. Tottenham was said to be assessing the proposal.
However, Portuguese newspaper Record now states the story does not reflect Benfica’s plans.
According to the newspaper, neither Souza nor Feyenoord winger Leo Sauer are targets for the Eagles during this transfer window, despite both being linked with moves to the Estádio da Luz in recent reports.
In Souza’s case, Record specifically references the claims published in Brazil that Benfica had offered €20m (£17.4m) to Tottenham. However, it reports the left-back is simply not part of the Portuguese club’s recruitment plans.
Focus remains on development
The latest update adds another twist to a summer in which Souza’s name has continued to generate attention. That’s despite his limited senior involvement at Tottenham.
Spurs signed the defender from Santos in January for around €15m (£13m) on a five-year contract after he emerged as one of Brazil’s most promising young full-backs.
Souza was not included in Tottenham’s travelling squad for the opening stage of the club’s pre-season tour of New Zealand. However, no official explanation has been given for his absence.
If the Brazilian does leave before the transfer window closes, the expectation is that it would be on loan. Earlier this month, Argentine journalist Uriel Iugt reported that several Premier League clubs had made enquiries about a temporary move. He also added Tottenham had no intention of sanctioning such a deal at that stage.
For now, though, the latest reporting from Portugal suggests Benfica are not in the picture, despite the claims that surfaced in Brazil earlier in the day.
