Tottenham have spoken to Bruno Fernandes’ agent about the prospect of signing the Sporting midfielder, claims The Daily Telegraph.
Mauricio Pochettino wants to overhaul his midfield options for the new season after being given assurances there will be money to spend this summer.
Tottenham have already had a club-record bid for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso knocked back and are also keen on Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele.
However, it has now emerged the north London outfit are also sounding out Fernandes and have even held talks with his agent, Miguel Pinho.
Tottenham face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Manchester United, who first made their interest in Fernandes clear two months ago.
The Red Devils are keen on the Sporting star but requested time so they could focus on signing Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are close to agreeing a mega-money deal for the 21-year-old but may now have to accelerate their interest in Fernandes.
Tottenham have a great opportunity to move clear of United in the race for the 24-year-old and this is the ideal situation for Sporting.
The Portuguese giants will use the interest from both clubs to drive Fernandes’ price up and hope to start a bidding war.
Fernandes finished last season as the highest WhoScored rated player in Liga NOS and helped Portugal win the inaugural UEFA Nations League earlier this month.
Despite operating from central midfield last season, Fernandes remarkably scored 20 goals and provided 13 assists in 33 league appearances for Sporting.
