Tottenham’s summer rebuild has already been one of the most aggressive in the Premier League, but Roberto De Zerbi has made it clear that the work is not finished.

Spurs have signed both Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali for a grand total of £185m, while Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka also arrived to add experience and depth.

That level of recruitment was always likely to create departures.

De Zerbi inherited a squad that had spent much of last season fighting near the bottom of the table, and his response has been to raise the level, improve the mentality and remove any uncertainty around players who are not fully committed.

Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Djed Spence and Lucas Bergvall are among the senior names whose futures have come under scrutiny recently.

Vicario also faces increased competition after Dubravka’s arrival, while Spence has been linked with an exit despite his excellent World Cup campaign with England.

Bergvall is a slightly different case.

De Zerbi has praised his potential and wants him to stay, but the midfielder has no guarantee of regular starts following the additions of Tonali and Fernandes.

That competition explains why Tottenham are open to reshaping the squad even after investing so much money, with Souza now surprisingly tipped for the exit door too.

The Brazilian left-back arrived from Santos in January as a long-term investment rather than an immediate first-choice.

He had made 38 senior appearances for Santos before moving to England, building a reputation as an energetic, attack-minded defender with the physical tools to develop in the Premier League.

Souza was only 19, had already handled senior football in Brazil and offered future cover for Destiny Udogie on the left.

His profile also matched Tottenham’s strategy of recruiting young players early, before their value and international reputation rose sharply.

However, his first six months in north London provided very little opportunity to build momentum.

Souza made only four first-team appearances and played 144 minutes in total.

His debut came from the bench against Man United in February, making him the youngest Brazilian to represent Tottenham.

He arrived midway through a difficult season, entered a squad under pressure and had limited time to adapt to a faster league, a new country and changing tactical demands.

Souza is after regular football at a crucial stage of his development, with surprise reports from Brazil now claiming he is in advanced talks to leave the club.

Souza in advanced talks to join FC Porto from Tottenham

Indeed, Globo now states that Porto have moved ahead of Benfica and are in advanced talks with Tottenham over a permanent transfer.

The Portuguese club have reportedly agreed terms with the player and are negotiating a deal worth around £17m, with his agent, Giuliano Bertolucci, in Portugal facilitating the move.

Benfica had previously made an offer at the same level, but Porto acted quickly and are now described as close to completing the move.

Santos also have a financial interest.

Globo claims the Brazilian club retained a 10 per cent sell-on clause when Souza joined Spurs, meaning a £17m deal would generate another payment for his former side.

A sale would create space in De Zerbi’s squad and potentially deliver a quick profit on a player signed only six months ago.

For Souza, Porto would offer a clearer route to regular first-team football, European competition and the chance to rebuild momentum before Brazil begin planning seriously for the 2030 World Cup.