Tottenham Hotspur are those ‘leading the race’ for the signing of Benfica defender Morato, according to reports from Portugal.
Newspaper Record today highlights the English race there is for the 22-year-old. They claim the list of interested clubs is growing, although Spurs are in front, as they’ve been following him for a while now.
The clubs who could compete with Tottenham are Fulham and Nottingham Forest, who previously had failed attempts to sign Morato.
It’s said that last summer, Benfica turned down a €25m offer from Craven Cottage and a €30m bid from City Ground despite the player’s attempt to convince the Eagles to accept a deal.
There’s no guarantee Morato will be sold in the next summer, though, especially because the Lisbon side may sell centre-back Antonio Silva, and that’s when the Brazilian would be even more needed in their defence.
He’s currently been playing as a left-back, and a sale of the Portuguese would give him a spot in the centre.
That means Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Fulham will probably need a very convincing bid to have any chances to sign him.
He’s protected by a €100m release clause, although Transfermarkt have a more realistic price by valuing him at €15m.
