Ligue 1 side eye Tottenham star as Chelsea bound defender's replacement - Reports

Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais are looking into the possibility of signing Tottenham Hotspur right-back Djed Spence to replace Malo Gusto, who is being strongly linked with a move to Chelsea.

With Malo Gusto, 19, seemingly keen on the move, Lyon are looking for a replacement and have identified Spence as a possible target. They will look to loan the player for the remainder of the season, according to the Daily Mail.

While Gusto has agreed to personal terms with Chelsea, journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported that the London club are still trying to find an agreement with Lyon for around £30 million. The Blues are trying to complete the signing in this window as manager Graham Potter wants to sign a quality right-back to provide cover for Reece James, who has been plagued with injury troubles this season.

Tottenham will be keen to loan out Spence. Having arrived from Championship side Middlesbrough at the start of the season, he has found it difficult to break into Antonio Conte's first team. Spence has made only six appearances across all competitions this season, with all six of them coming off the bench.

Conte has opted to play Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal in the right-back position, but neither have been convincing. Spurs believe that a loan spell could further his development.

The North London outfit are also keen on signing a right-back themselves in this window. They have approached Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon for 23-year-old right-back Pedro Porro and a deal worth around €45 million is believed to be close. The player has already agreed to a five-year contract with Tottenham, according to Fabrizio Romano, and it remains to be seen if they can secure his services.

Tottenham Hotspur cautious of Chelsea hijacking deal for full-back

The Blues could hijack Spurs' deal for Pedro Porro.

While Tottenham are confident of reaching an agreement with Pedro Porro, they are wary of Chelsea hijacking their deal, according to Ben Jacobs.

Chelsea's first choice for the position is Lyon's Malo Gusto, but they could turn their attention towards Porro if a move for the Frenchman fails to materialize.

Speaking to CaughtOffside, Jacobs said:

“When the window opened they knew they needed a right-back and a central midfielder, and at the time of writing, they haven’t got either. They’ve added some fine talents, and Joao Felix and Mykhaylo Mudryk in particular look like outstanding signings and real statements by the club, while Benoit Badiashile has also been excellent since joining from Monaco, but despite that two priority positions still haven’t been filled. We’ll have to watch and see if Chelsea can get Malo Gusto or potentially even Pedro Porro – Spurs certainly know that a hijack isn’t impossible.”