Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to sign Brazilian right-back Dodo from Fiorentina this summer, according to Spanish outlet AS.
The Brazilian has been an ever-present figure in Raffaele Palladino’s backline, featuring in 31 of the 32 Serie A games this season. His performances have not gone unnoticed, with several clubs, including Tottenham, joining the race to land the defensive ace.
As per AS, Fiorentina are keen on extending Dodo’s contract, which will expire in 2027. However, negotiations have not been productive so far.
It appears the Italian club is now looking to cash in on the in-demand defender, as a host of clubs across Europe are now in the race to sign him.
According to the report, Tottenham have enquired about his situation in Florence regarding a possible move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer.
However, they face stern competition over the 26-year-old’s signature. The report adds that Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus, and Barcelona, which are in pole position to sign him, have all indicated interest in the Brazilian over a possible summer transfer.
Although securing the Brazilian’s signature won’t be easy amid growing interest, Spurs could leverage their financial muscle to outbid competitors, with the Spanish outlet reporting that Fiorentina are set to demand around €25m (£21m) to sanction his departure from the Stadio Artemio Franchi—an amount well within the reach of the North London club.
Dodo to Spurs
Defensive profligacy has been the theme of Tottenham’s season so far.
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven only returned from injury towards the tail end of the season, having suffered incessant injury concerns, which has seen young fullback Archie Grey utilised at centre-back. Kevin Danso also joined from French side Lens in the summer, but the Austrian defender has had his fair share of injury concerns.
Thankfully, Pedro Porro has been one of the most reliable players for Ange Postecoglou this season, featuring in 45 games for the North London club.
While his attacking output, with ten goal contributions, has been impressive, concerns remain over his defensive qualities, as he often gets easily dribbled past.
This is where Dodo would be an absolute fit, as his defensive qualities are outstanding and would help Postecoglou salvage his team’s porous defence if he joins in the summer.
