Tottenham Hotspur have ‘taken the first steps’ for a deal to re-sign Sporting Lisbon attacker Marcus Edwards, according to reports.
Antonio Conte was impressed by the Englishman’s performances against Spurs in the Champions League, but Sporting won’t let their star forward go easily.
Tottenham have been eyeing January attacking reinforcements for some time, particularly with the recent injury to Richarlison, so an official offer for Edwards could be tabled in the coming days.
That is according to Portuguese outlet A Bola, who suggest that Tottenham have now made an official enquiry into their former player.
Edwards, originally from North London, first joined Tottenham at the age of eight and spent 13 years on the club’s books.
However, he only made one League Cup appearance for Spurs in 2016 before joining Vitoria Guimaraes on a permanent deal three years later.
After a successful three-year stint at the Portuguese club, where in 90 appearances he scored an impressive 20 goals and made 14 assists, he joined Sporting on a €7.5m (£6.6m) deal.
Ever since, the Englishman has been a key player for the Lisbon club. Overall, in 39 games for his team he has scored 12 goals and created 12, resulting in a superb average of 0.62 goal contributions per game.
Edwards has continued his excellent form this season, netting nine times and contributing nine assists in 24 outings. That included two goals in the Champions League against Eintracht Frankfurt and, indeed, his boyhood club Tottenham.
Dream Spurs return for Edwards could prove to be a smart addition
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When Edwards signed for Vitoria Guimaraes, it is believed that Spurs inserted a clause ensuring they would get 50 per cent of a future sale. However, when the 24-year-old joined Sporting, Spurs reportedly chose to delay the clause, carrying it over until his next move.
Edwards has a release clause in his Sporting contract set at around £52million. But Spurs would only theoretically have to pay half of that amount as they would be owed the other 50 per cent, state A Bola.
While Sporting are indeed keen to keep hold of their man, given the structure of his deal it may be very difficult to prevent him making the switch to London.
According to the Daily Express, Super agent Jorge Mendes is claimed to be helping out with the potential transfer, with Tottenham now starting the initial steps to re-sign Edwards.
As mentioned, Richarlison recently picked up an injury playing for Brazil at the World Cup, which could potentially rule him out for much of January.
There have even been rumours that Harry Kane could make a shock move to a big Premier League rival. Thus, there is a real need for Spurs to add attacking reinforcements sooner rather than later.
Conte is reportedly keen on Watford winger Ismaila Sarr, but Edwards may represent a better option given his ties to the club and his Champions League pedigree.
As a versatile, attacking player, Edwards can play on either wing, but also as an attacking midfielder or centre-forward, so he could provide cover in a number of positions if Spurs do opt to resign him next month.
