By Betsefy
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering a late deadline day move for Monaco attacker Gelson Martins.
The Lilywhites have already made seven new acquisitions during the summer transfer window but are expected to be active right up until the deadline hits on Thursday night.
With Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil‘s futures both being called into question, Tottenham could still try to bolster their attacking ranks, which have been thinned by the exits of Jack Clarke and Steven Bergwijn.
Tottenham were allegedly considering a swoop for Daniel James of Leeds United, but the former Manchester United starlet is now expected to sign for newly-promoted Fulham.
In their hunt for alternative options to the Craven Cottage-bound Welshman, Sky Sports News claims that Monaco and Portugal attacker Martins has emerged as a potential target.
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The 27-year-old produced a number of eye-catching displays at Sporting Lisbon after rising through the club’s youth ranks, earning him a £19.8m move to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2018.
Martins struggled to become a regular fixture under Diego Simeone and was loaned out to Monaco just six months after joining, and his move to Les Monegasques was made permanent three years ago.
The Portugal international has since come up with 16 goals and 14 assists in 118 games for the Ligue 1 giants in all competitions, but he has failed to earn any minutes in his side’s last three Ligue 1 games.
Martins’s contract at the Stade Louis-II is due to expire in the summer of 2024, and the attacker is supposedly intrigued by the prospect of playing in the Premier League.
Spurs manager Antonio Conte and director of football Fabio Paratici are understood to have held a meeting on Thursday morning to discuss any last-minute targets, and Martins’s name was mentioned.
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The Portuguese’s versatility supposedly appeals to Conte, who currently has Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison and Son Heung-min battling to start for Tottenham in the wide areas.
Lucas – who is currently sidelined with a tendon injury – has been tipped to leave Tottenham in the current window, but the Lilywhites supposedly have no intention of sanctioning a loan exit.
Meanwhile, fellow out-of-favour attacker Gil could still return to Valencia on a season-long loan deal after providing one assist in 17 appearances for Los Che during the second half of last season.
The 21-year-old’s proposed switch to Mestalla is unlikely to come to fruition unless Spurs are able to replace him at short notice, though, and it remains to be seen if interest in Martins will translate into anything concrete.
As well as Richarlison, Spurs have also landed the signings of Yves Bissouma, Fraser Forster, Ivan Perisic, Djed Spence, Clement Lenglet and Destiny Udogie in the current window.
