Tottenham in talks over loan for £89m striker; Celtic move for forgotten man

Tottenham are in talks with Benfica striker Carlos Vinicius, according to several respected sources.

The Daily Mail claim Spurs “are closing on a loan deal” for the forward who has an £89m release clause.

However, the financial impact of Covid-19 and their exit from the Champions League means the Portuguese side will negotiate over the price.

Sky Sports report that Spurs are chasing a season-long loan deal for Vinicius, which will include an option to buy the Brazilian for around £36m.

Jose Mourinho has been chasing a striker all summer and on Wednesday he said he was hopeful of recruiting one before next Monday’s transfer deadline.

“I am optimistic, but more than that the feeling that I like is that we are trying everything to do it,” said the Portuguese (via FootballLondon).

“You succeed, you don’t succeed is a different story. It’s like a football match: you win, you don’t win.

“But you give everything and you try everything. In the transfer market, it’s more of the same. I like the fact that my club, my transfer structure is trying to do everything to do it for us, to do it for the team.”

The 25-year-old scored 24 goals last season and was linked with Spurs last month.

TVI24 claimed Vinicius was the latest target on the north London club’s shortlist.

Benfica were adamant that the player would not leave for less than €30m. But Daniel Levy was refusing to meet that asking price.

Now though with time ticking away it seems Levy has revised his thinking for a player, who joined Benfica from Napoli for £15m last summer.

Celtic make Sessegnon enquiry

Meanwhile, Sky Sports report that Celtic have made an enquiry for Tottenham left-back Ryan Sessegnon.

The left-sided player arrived from Fulham for £25m last summer, but despite being highly rated he has struggled for game time.

The 20-year-old made just nine starts in all competitions last term and he is yet to play for Mourinho this season.

Spurs are likely to sanction a loan deal for the defender, but Celtic may well struggle to finance a deal.

Sessegnon signed a five-year deal with the option of a sixth on a reported salary of £3.2m a year – the equivalent of £64,000 a week.