Tottenham have signed full-back Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon on loan until the end of the season, with an obligation to buy for 45m euros (£40m).
The 23-year-old Spain international joined Sporting in August 2020 on a two-year loan, which became permanent last summer.
He was previously at Manchester City, but didn’t play for the first team.
Porro’s arrival coincides with the end of Spurs’ contract with Matt Doherty, who joined Atletico Madrid.
Fellow defender Djed Spence has also left Spurs, signing for French side Rennes on loan for the rest of the season.
The 22-year-old has struggled for first-team football since signing from Middlesbrough in the summer for £20million. The deal does not include an option to make the move permanent.
Porro, meanwhile, will wear the number 23 shirt for Tottenham.
Signed by Manchester City from Girona for £11m in August 2019, he was then loaned out to Real Valladolid and Sporting before joining the Portuguese club for £7.2m.
He made one international appearance – in a 2-1 away win against Georgia in a World Cup qualifier in March 2021.
Jack Pitt-Brooke, a reporter for The Athletic, told BBC Radio 5 Live Porro that Spurs manager Antonio Conte was “desperately wanted”.
“It’s a really big deal for Spurs and maybe one that could improve the team’s mood at the start of the second half of the season,” he added.
“Spurs have been asking for a top right-back since Conte arrived in 2021 and, frankly, none of Emerson Royal, Djed Spence and Matt Doherty were good enough.
“Porro will be a huge boost for the team because he is so much better than what they have in this position.”
Analysis
Former Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown on BBC Radio 5 Live
Spurs will be delighted with what they have on the right side. They tried several times to get it right, so that’s a plus point.
He’s someone in that dressing room who will hopefully give them that consistency, especially when the manager demands so much of the team.
It’s a strange recruitment process with director of football Fabio Paratici, Daniel Levy and then Conte all involved.
They had been searching for some time and some of their targets came and went.
