Joao Moutinho more likely to be sold than he was yesterday?

Remember back in August when Joao Moutinho's transfer to Tottenham Hotspur was reportedly scuttled by the third party that owned 30% of the Porto midfielder's rights? That problem has been solved thanks to Porto, which has bought out the third party and now owns all of Moutinho's rights.

Now that there is no third party to deal with, it is much easier for Tottenham or any other club to buy Moutinho. Negotiating with two is always tougher than negotiating with one and if this were the situation in August, Moutinho might be a Spur right now.

Even so, it doesn't appear likely that Spurs buy Moutinho today. They haven't been linked to him all month and with Moussa Dembele and Lewis Holtby in the fold now, it would be tough to squeeze them all in once Sandro is back. It just no longer makes sense, no matter how much Moutinho shined under Andre Villas-Boas before and any relationship the two may have.

Porto aren't looking to sell Moutinho. Buying out his rights just makes it easier for them if somebody makes a godfather bid for him (hey, Anzhi!) and it's tough to imagine Spurs throwing cash Porto's way, even if it is easier to get the deal done now than it has ever been before.

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