Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with Benfica defender Morato in recent days.
The Daily Mail recently reported that Spurs had set their sights on the 22-year-old Brazilian powerhouse.
Now, Portuguese outlet Record has reported how much Tottenham could expect to pay for Morato.
They claim that the defender boasts a €100million release clause, which works out at around £87million.
As per Record, Spurs had scouts in attendance when Morato was in action in the Lisbon Derby earlier this month.
Tottenham, who look likely to delve into the January transfer window, are thought to have been impressed by the 6ft 3in defender’s performances.
Ange Postecoglou worked wonders in the summer transfer market, bringing in a host of top players that helped Spurs briefly go top of the table.
However, a number of injuries to key players have seen Tottenham’s team – and performances – drop in quality. This is something Postecoglou will likely want to address in January.
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Spurs could certainly do with more cover at the back, and Morato seems to tick quite a few boxes for the Lilywhites.
Morato joined Benfica giants from Sao Paulo in 2019, starting out in the ‘B’ team before breaking into the first team the following year.
He has made 60 competitive appearances for Benfica, winning last year’s Primeira Liga title as well as the Portuguese Supercup.
In 2020, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout compared the reported Spurs target to Manchester City legend Aymeric Laporte and gave him a 9 out of 10 rating in terms of potential.
Kulig also described Morato as a “complete and dominant” centre-back. The left-footer’s strengths include pace, tackling, positioning, anticipation, heading, physical strength and charisma.
However, the player has slipped down the pecking order, with just 10 outings and 747 minutes under his belt this term.
That said, even if Benfica aren’t using him, they likely won’t want to simply offload him. Not when he’s such an asset who they can make significant money from.
