Tottenham are reportedly close to following up the capture of Conor Gallagher with another January transfer. The north Londoners have moved quickly to improve their midfield ranks by landing the England international from Atletico Madrid. Gallagher has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, keeping him there until the summer of 2031.
Now, it’s being reported that Tottenham are set to finalise their second transfer in the space of a few days. They have reached a full agreement with Santos for the signing of defender Souza, according to Spanish outlet AS. The teenager is expected to travel to England to undergo a medical and complete the formalities of his proposed switch.
The report adds that Santos don’t hold all of the player’s rights, with a percentage being held by Souza himself. However, reports have suggested that he has given up those rights in order to facilitate a move to Tottenham.
ESPN Brasil have also reported that it is a done deal, with Santos expected to receive a transfer fee in the region of £13million. The money will go towards easing the club’s financial troubles with the aim of warding off the possibility of further sanctions from FIFA.
The main issue stems from a dispute between Santos and Portuguese club Estoril Praia, who filed a lawsuit against the Brazilian side following their signing of Joao Basso on loan.
Santos will reportedly use the money from Tottenham to settle the debt with Estoril. They are said to owe around £2.8m, which must be paid before a 45-day deadline to avoid a transfer ban.
Santos president Marcelo Teixeira has already confirmed this, telling Brazilian media: “The effort is always to balance the debts. We already paid R$130m (£18m) in transfer bans in 2024 and others were avoided through agreements.”
Tottenham, meanwhile, will be hoping to wrap up their deal to sign Souza as quickly as possible so that he can be officially presented as their newest January signing.
Thomas Frank previously said that he would only look to add ‘committed’ players to his squad in the winter market, with the Dane looking to provide an injection of extra quality for the rest of the season.
Speaking last month, he said: “Any player we sign needs to be fully committed on the project. No doubt about that. Very important.
“Character for me, as I’ve said many times, is the most important thing. They need to buy into it so we are aligned. It makes it easier for me to say: ‘Hey remember the bit I said about this…’, then it’s a little bit easier to have consequences.”