Tottenham have agreed a deal to sign left-back Souza from Brazilian club Santos, according to widespread reports
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Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £13m deal with Brazilian club Santos to sign 19-year-old left-back Souza - according to several reports.
Tottenham have been keen to add another left-back to their squad as they look to halt their poor run of form that sees them sit 14th in the Premier League table. Tottenham have been heavily interested in the player and saw an initial £8m bid rejected. They have now improved their offer to £13m, which has ben enough to get an agreement in place.
It is Spurs’ first incoming deal of the January window with a handful of loan exits already confirmed along with the permanent departure of Brennan Johnson, who has joined Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in a £35m deal.
Destiny Udogie has been the club’s first-choice left-back since his arrival back in 2023 but has missed the last six games through injury. Archie Gray and Micky van de Ven have been deployed in the position along with Djed Spence, who is traditionally a right-back.
Souza made 24 Brazilian Serie A appearances last season and has a total of 38 senior games for Santos under his belt. He played for Brazil Under-17s in the Under-17 World Cup in November 2023.
The good news for Spurs is that Souza has already been identified as a strong addition. Speaking on Sky Sports News, South American football expert Tim Vickery said: "He is very impressive. He is a 19-year-old left-back, very physically strong. Great footballer and very versatile. He defends well and attacks well.
"Can go on the outside and can also cut in on the inside. He has had a difficult debut season, playing for Santos in a relegation battle and they only just avoided relegation.
"Santos, on the one hand, you have the tradition of Pele and the greatest club side in the world at one point but on the other side they represent a small city. The fans are so demanding.
"For him to come through, fighting relegation, and doing very well, it speaks volumes. He is already on the radar of Carlo Ancelotti for the Brazil team."
Speaking about the club’s January business, manager Thomas Frank said earlier this week: “We are working very, very, very hard to see if we can improve the squad. Johan, Fabio, Vinai, everyone in and around the club, the recruitment department, is doing that. January is a very, very, very difficult window.
“It is very important to get short-term success and long-term success. Everything is linked. So the players we are bringing in, it is because we think they can improve the squad and the team.”