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Source delivers verdict on Tottenham signing Vinicius permanently for cut-price fee
Tottenham will not take up their £38million option to sign Carlos Vinicius on a permanent deal, Football Insider understands.
The Premier League big guns lured the Brazilian striker, 25, from Benfica last summer on a loan-to-boy transfer.
It included a purchase fee option set at £38m and which can be activated when his loan expires at the end of June.
A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Tottenham have no plans to sign Vinicius permanently “and certainly not at that price”.
An alternative is Spurs could negotiate the transfer of Vinicius at a lower price, but that has also been ruled out behind the scenes.
The forward, one of three signings brought to the club by Mourinho’s agent Jorge Mendes last year, has a creditable goals-per-minutes record but all nine of his strikes have come in the Europa League and FA Cup against weaker opposition.
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Jose Mourinho has granted him just one Premier League start and 168 minutes of action in the competition.
Most of Vinicius’ 20 matches and 821 minutes have come in the lower profile competitions.
He has netted six times in the Europa League but is likely to have to settle for a bench role in the later rounds of the knockout stages even during the absence of Son Heung-Min.
The South Korea sensation is facing a lengthy absence with the hamstring injury sustained in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Arsenal.
Former Spurs star Alan Hutton has told Football Insider he expects Son to be sidelined for “at least six weeks” in a devastating blow.
In other news, Spurs are planning to sell 24-year-old Mourinho “doesn’t trust” as Mendes to bring in replacement.