Tottenham could nab their Kyle Walker replacement for less money than they thought

The rumors linking Tottenham Hotspur to Porto right back/right wing tweener Ricardo Pereira are starting to heat up. Tottenham have emerged as the front runners for his signature, who would be signed as a replacement for Kyle Walker, who is expected to leave Spurs this summer. The 23-year old Portuguese international has a £22m release clause in his contract that Spurs were reportely ready to meet.

Now, Lyall Thomas, writing for Londonfootballnews, says that might not be necessary, and that Ricardo might be had for a lot less. Apparently Porto are a bit strapped for cash, and it might take a bid of as little as £13m to get him to White Hart Lane.

Lyall reports the source as an “intermediary connected to the player,” and I am not really sure what that means or how realistic it is. I was talking myself into Ricardo at £22m based on his past performances, his age, and his potential at the right wing-back position. Push that price down to £13m and we’re into “no reason not to bid” territory.

Ricardo isn’t going to be as good a fullback as Kyle Walker, but it’s very unlikely that any player we bring in is going to be as good as Kyle, at least initially. Losing Walker is going to be hard, and it will take some adjustment. However, bringing in an offensive-minded player like Ricardo and putting him into a true rotation with Kieran Trippier might help alleviate some of the drop-off, if he can hit the ground quickly.

Lyall also notes that Spurs are kicking the tires on Bayer Leverkusen’s Benjamin Henrichs and Hoffenheim’s Jeremy Toljan as Walker’s replacement, as well as Joel Veltman, who is more of a CB/RB tweener.