Tottenham Hotspur's move for Pedro Porro has reportedly collapsed after Sporting Lisbon changed their mind on the terms of the deal at the last minute.
The Lilywhites were ostensibly closing in on the signing of the 23-year-old following a protracted period of negotiations, with Sporting insisting that he would only be allowed to leave if his €45m (£39.5m) release clause was triggered.
Tottenham are said to have reached a full verbal agreement to sign the defender on Saturday, and Porro appeared to say his goodbyes to the Sporting fans in their Taca da Liga final defeat to Porto at the weekend.
The Spain international was expected to fly to London on Monday to complete his medical and sign a five-and-a-half year contract, thereby becoming Spurs' first permanent signing of the January window.
However, The Athletic now claims that the deal to bring Porro to Tottenham is now off, as Sporting reneged on the terms of the deal.
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The report states that Porro was told by Sporting president Frederico Varandas that he would be allowed to join Tottenham, and the news has left the defender "distraught".
Ruben Amorim's side are understood to have lined up a move for Barcelona's Hector Bellerin as a replacement for Porro, with Tottenham making a breakthrough in talks and expecting the latter's signing to be wrapped up before Tuesday's deadline.
However, Porro is now set to stay at Sporting for the remainder of the season, having only joined the club permanently from Manchester City last summer following a productive two-year loan spell.
A separate report from Portuguese outlet Record states that Sporting demanded Tottenham pay Porro's release clause in full after the verbal agreement was reached, but the Lilywhites refused to do so.
Tottenham are therefore at risk of ending the January transfer window with no permanent incomings, having only brought in Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal so far.
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Antonio Conte has failed to find a consistent formula in the right-wing back area, where Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty have largely been competing for starts this season.
Tottenham won the race to sign the highly-rated Djed Spence from Middlesbrough last season, but the England Under-21 international has only been a bit-part player in his debut campaign.
Spence has only featured six times for Tottenham in the 2022-23 season so far, playing a mere three minutes in the Premier League, and he is yet to start a game for his new club.
The 22-year-old would have likely been allowed to leave on loan if Tottenham sealed the signing of Porro before Tuesday, but he will seemingly now stay put unless Spurs can quickly salvage their pursuit of the Spaniard.
Tottenham occupy fifth place in the Premier League table - three points off the top four having played a game more than Newcastle United and Manchester United - and they are next in action at home to champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Ben Knapton
