Arsenal are eyeing a move for Sporting winger Marcus Edwards in the summer transfer window.
Edwards was regarded as one of Tottenham’s brightest prospects after joining the north London outfit at the age of just eight, but struggled to live up to the hype and managed just one League Cup appearance for his boyhood club.
After a pair of unremarkable loan spells at Norwich and Excelsior Rotterdam, Edwards found his feet in Portuguese football with Vitoria de Guimaraes, where he made a name for himself with 20 goals in 96 appearances.
A permanent transfer to Sporting followed and the 25-year-old enjoyed his second full season in Lisbon last term, racking up four goals and four assists to help the club win their 20th Primeira Liga title.
Edwards has shown flashes of his undoubted quality in Sporting’s colours to establish himself as a fan favourite at Estadio Jose Alvalade. However, Portuguese outlet O Jogo report the Englishman’s lack of consistency has become a source of frustration for head coach Ruben Amorim.
It’s claimed this is why Edwards, once a regular in Amorim’s starting XI, became more of a peripheral figure at Sporting towards the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
The report adds that Premier League clubs are monitoring the situation and a return to England ‘cannot be ruled out’ for the former Tottenham youngster this summer.
Spurs are named as one of the interested parties, while Arsenal are also said to be weighing up a move, with Mikel Arteta on the hunt for attacking reinforcements this summer.
Edwards, who has never hidden his desire to return to English football, is tied into a deal with Sporting until 2026.
After playing a starring role in Sporting’s Champions League victory over Tottenham last year, Edwards said he ‘of course’ hoped to ply his trade in the Premier League at some stage in his career.
‘It feels great and I think we deserved it. We showed how we can play,’ he told TNT Sports after Sporting’s 2-0 win.
‘I wouldn’t say extra special, but it was a special feeling to play against Spurs. It was good to see people I know – players and coaching staff.
‘I stayed the same. Focus was the same. It’s a proper family environment here and I couldn’t be happier.
‘It’s home, so of course I want to come back there [to the Premier League] one day. I just focus on what I’m doing here for now.’
