Antonio Conte desperate to get Tottenham transfer done but Levy insisting on driving £40m asking price down

Antonio Conte is said to be desperate to get a Tottenham transfer over the line this month, although Daniel Levy is insisting on the player’s price tag to drop well below the proposed £40million.

Spurs have been chasing Sporting Lisbon right-wing back Pedro Porro for weeks now, as Conte looks to upgrade a problem position that has seen both Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty fail to convince, while the name Djed Spence is seemingly not even worth a mention.

The Daily Star reported last week that the north London club were closing in on 23-year-old. They added that a deal is expected to be concluded soon, after Conte gave the move a big thumbs up.

However, the deal has since hit a roadblock due to the release clause included in Porro’s current contract.

Sporting inserted a £40m exit clause for the player when they signed him permanently from Manchester City. But Levy is unwilling to meet that valuation, as he believes it to be excessive.

The latest report from Portuguese outlet Record (via Sport Witness) states that Tottenham are insisting for that price to be lowered, if Sporting want to do business in January.

However, the Portuguese giants are in a healthy financial situation and do not need to sell. They are also keen on keeping Porro, given there is still half a season to go.

Porro a must-buy to solve problem position

Porro, though, would provide Spurs with a massive upgrade in the right wing-back position.

The defender already has 12 goal contributions in 21 games so far this season. That’s an average of more than one every other game.

In comparison, Emerson Royal has weighed in with just one assist in 20 matches throughout the campaign. And while Doherty has got the nod since the World Cup break, there remain doubts over his consistency.

As for summer signing Spence, he is clearly not fancied by Conte and could end up being loaned out.

With all that being said, Tottenham should bite the bullet and consider paying what Sporting are asking for. He would make a huge difference down the right and his creativity would offset the continued absence of Richarlison and Dejan Kukusevski.

Both players are expected to return in the coming weeks, but have shown they are injury prone. To that end, having a player of Porro’s quality at wing-back would give Conte a creative presence that he currently does not have in that position.

Tottenham are back in action on Saturday when they host Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round.

READ MORE: Conte extends olive branch to two Tottenham misfits with increased involvement on the horizon