Tottenham Transfer News: Spurs receive response after bid for 19 y/o star

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly already had a response following a bid for a Brazilian teenage defender.

Spurs are on the lookout for players to bolster their squad over the January window following a lacklustre start to the season under Thomas Frank.

There has already been activity in N17, with Brennan Johnson being sold to Crystal Palace for £35m, marking the first major January transfer in the Premier League.

And now with more money to spend, it appears that Spurs are sounding out targets.

According to Santos reporter Lucas Musetti (as per Sport Witness), Spurs have joined a group of clubs with an interest in 19-year-old full-back Souza, who has also caught the attention of Chelsea and Milan.

The bid itself is thought to have landed in the past few days, but Santos were said to have rejected that out of hand, citing a €17m (£14.8m) asking price – a mark Spurs were not close to meeting.

Now in its off-season, Santos ended the last campaign strongly to avoid relegation, with their six-match unbeaten run helping them eventually steer four points clear of the drop.

Souza had a strong part to play, starting half of his side’s 38 league matches – and could have played more but for an early-season ankle injury. Santos only won once in the league before his return.

At Spurs, you would imagine he would have to fight Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence for a first-team role, unless Frank is planning more exits in that area.

Souza’s experience suggests he may not be the immediate gamechanger Tottenham’s season needs, but beating high-profile rivals to his signature would be a signal that the north Londoners still have pulling power despite their so-so campaign to date.

Moreover, providing from wide positions has been an issue for Spurs – Udogie and Spence have one assist in the 2025/26 top flight between them.

Souza is hardly prolific with three goal involvements in 2025, but he may yet flourish with better players around him.

In any case, depth will be important as Spurs fight in three competitions, with their Champions League run set to go beyond January.

However, Santos appear pretty firm in their stance over selling Souza, so the onus now is on Tottenham to stump up the cash or look elsewhere.

Graduated in Sport Journalism (BA) with first-class honours from the University of Brighton and has since had bylines in The Times, sports business publication SportsPro, Football FanCast and The Gooner fanzine.