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Benfica director set to accelerate talks for €30m Tottenham midfield target with player open to move – Romano

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Pranav Kannan | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 7:37 AM ET

Tottenham Hotspur might not have made many additions to the squad yet since Thomas Frank took over, but one major reason for that could also be the fact that the Danish tactician inherited a lot of quality from his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou. That said, they have already made a quality addition in Mohammed Kudus.

The Ghanaian footballer is an excellent addition to the Spurs squad and can provide quality across multiple positions. One position that Tottenham could look at potentially in terms of reinforcement is the midfield. The existing options in Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are good but not necessarily ceiling breakers.

In Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, Spurs do have two excellent youngsters who can define the position for a decade to come, but it’s too early to place all their trust in them as of now. Thus, one player that the North London club were linked with, for this position was talented Colombian midfielder Richard Rios.

Benfica director set for mission in Brazil due to start later today as Richard Rios deal can accelerate this weekend.

Benfica have been informed by Palmeiras that AS Roma still didn’t match €30m fee.

Rios can now open doors to Benfica move; direct meeting will take place. pic.twitter.com/wG3fSr0Q2i
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 19, 2025

Benfica look set to pip Tottenham for Richard Rios

Now, as per Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Benfica director is set to embark on a Brazil mission to convince Richard Rios to join them this summer and reach an agreement with Palmeiras. AS Roma, another club interested in the player, have failed to reach the asking price, paving way for the Portuguese club.

It helps that Rios is also open to moving to Benfica, which should make this transfer seamless. What this means for Tottenham though, is that they need to shift their focus elsewhere, should they want to sign a new midfielder. Bissouma in particular looks likely to leave and this would leave a void at the N17.

€30m is a very decent fee for Rios and one wonders why Tottenham didn’t push harder to try and wrap up the deal. However, there are enough and more talented midfielders going around who could play for Spurs and it remains to be seen who Thomas Frank wants to add to his squad.

Do Tottenham need a new midfielder?

Even if Tottenham eventually decide not to go for a new defensive midfielder and manage to keep hold of Bissouma this summer, it would not affect the club much. With Bergvall and Gray more mature than they were last season, Thomas Frank could look to build something very special at the N17.

The next few weeks could provide further clarity on what kind of plans Frank has for Tottenham this summer. Regardless, it does feel like the club are making the right noises so far. So, let’s wait and see how it plays out.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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