Tottenham Could Still Hijack Trincao's Saudi Move

Tottenham are reported to have been handed a lifeline in their pursuit of Sporting winger Francisco Trincao, despite the 26-year-old appearing to be on the brink of a move to Saudi Arabia. Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha has reported that Al Ahli have agreed a package worth €45m, around £38m, with Sporting for the forward, a deal significant enough that transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano gave it his "here we go" seal of confirmation. What has not been agreed, according to the same report, is Trincao's own side of it.

Why Tottenham are even in this conversation

Spurs joined the chase for Trincao only last week, a move that made sense given Roberto De Zerbi's stated desire to add more creativity to a forward line that badly needed it. Trincao scored 11 goals and added 15 assists in 50 appearances for Sporting last season, numbers that would have improved most Premier League attacks, while Tottenham themselves scraped away from relegation on the final day of the campaign having struggled for goals for long stretches of it. That context matters more than the transfer fee. A club that spent a season one bad afternoon away from the Championship does not chase a creative winger on a whim.

What Correio da Manha is actually reporting

The detail that keeps this alive is specific rather than speculative. Correio da Manha states that Trincao has yet to actually agree personal terms with Al Ahli, and that he is holding out hope of an offer to return to the Premier League, described as his genuine top preference. That leaves the door ajar for Tottenham, though not a door they would walk through cheaply. The report is clear that any club looking to act on Trincao's reluctance would still have to meet Sporting's full £38m asking price rather than negotiate a discount off the back of his hesitation. A player stalling on one move does not lower his valuation for another.

Competition from Manchester City, and Tottenham's own crowded list

Tottenham are not the only Premier League club circling. Correio da Manha's reporting also names Manchester City as interested, with the connection traced to new manager Enzo Maresca's admiration for Trincao and the gap Bernardo Silva's departure has left at the Etihad. For Tottenham, Trincao would slot in as competition for a creative number 10 role as well as cover out wide, with the left flank named specifically as an area De Zerbi wants strengthened. He would also be arriving into a genuinely crowded forward list. Savinho, Rafael Leao, Cody Gakpo, Ferran Torres and Croatia's World Cup performer Martin Baturina have all been linked with Tottenham this summer, and reports of the Trincao interest were, by the report's own admission, something of a surprise addition to that list rather than a long-planned target.

Verdict: a door left open, not a deal being made

Nothing here confirms Tottenham will get their man. What it confirms is that Trincao's own reluctance, not any specific approach from north London, is the only reason this is still a story at all. Romano's "here we go" was given to the Al Ahli side of the deal, not to Trincao's signature, and that gap between a club's agreement and a player's consent is exactly where late hijacks are made or, more often, quietly fail to materialise. Tottenham would still have to pay full price to find out which one this becomes, and a club that spent last season fighting off relegation has to weigh whether a £38m gamble on a player who has already agreed terms with someone else is the kind of business De Zerbi actually needs this summer.

Sources: Reporting from Correio da Manha, as carried by TeamTalk.