Tottenham Hotspur reportedly had scouts in attendance to watch Porto's Samu Omorodion torment Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The 20-year-old was at the centre of a protracted summer transfer saga involving Chelsea, and it appeared that he would join the Blues in a transaction also involving Conor Gallagher.
However, a deal collapsed at the eleventh hour due to reported contractual disagreements, leading to a ludicrous situation in which Gallagher was left in limbo after completing his medical and media duties.
Atletico and Chelsea eventually found a compromise, as Joao Felix returned to Stamford Bridge on a permanent deal to allow Gallagher to complete his move, and Omorodion subsequently joined Porto in a surprise £12.6m transfer.
The 2004-born attacker has immediately hit the ground running in Portugal with seven goals in his opening six games, and he ran Man United ragged in Thursday's six-goal Europa League thriller.
Tottenham, Chelsea 'send scouts' to watch Omorodion
© Imago
Omorodion scored Porto's second and third goals of the evening at the Estadio do Dragao, getting the better of Matthijs de Ligt on both occasions as the two sides played out an engrossing 3-3 draw.
According to Football Insider, Spurs had representatives in attendance in Portugal to keep an eye on Omorodion's performances, in what was a successful Premier League audition for the Spaniard.
The report claims that Omorodion's price tag has trebled in value since his bright start to life at Porto, who are well-placed to demand at least £40m for his signature if they are to sell him in 2025.
Despite the summer transfer farce, Chelsea are also said to retain an interest in Omorodion and also sent scouts to keep tabs on his performance on Thursday evening as they eye a new striker signing next summer.
Omorodion is under contract with Porto until the summer of 2029, and the 20-year-old was also part of Spain's gold medal-winning Olympic squad this summer, scoring once in four appearances in Paris.
Could Spurs have a secret weapon in Omorodion battle?
© Imago
Tottenham certainly have no need to pursue a new first-choice striker next summer, as Dominic Solanke is starting to flourish up front and has just been called up to the England squad for the first time in seven years.
However, a younger backup in 2025 would not go amiss, as Richarlison has been riddled with injuries during his time at Tottenham - as well as struggling for form in general - so he could very well depart sooner rather than later.
The Lilywhites also still have 21-year-old Argentinian striker Alejo Veliz in their ranks, but he is yet to ignite his Tottenham career after arriving from Rosario Central last year and is currently on loan at Espanyol.
Veliz has been a regular in the early stages of the 2024-25 season, but he only has one goal in his opening nine La Liga games, and what the future holds for him in the Premier League is unclear.
Should Porto wish to replace Omorodion with a striker of a similar age, a player-plus-cash deal involving Veliz might be one for Tottenham to explore if it is decided that the South American is better off advancing his career elsewhere.
Ben Knapton
