Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing a potential transfer move for Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte. 

The Lowdown: Previous interest

The north London club have been linked with a move for the Uruguayan earlier on in the season alongside French side Paris Saint-Germain.

Antonio Conte was given the chance to see the 21-year-old in action as he completed the full 90 minutes in both of the Champions League group games that Sporting played against Spurs earlier in the campaign.

Now though, it appears that the Lilywhites will be monitoring the youngster over the next couple of months in Qatar prior to the opening of the next January transfer window.

The Latest: Spurs eyeing Ugarte

According to a recent report from A Bola (via Sport Witness), Tottenham are one of the clubs that are likely to be keeping an eye on Ugarte while he's on international duty with Uruguay during the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

The midfielder has been included in Uruguay's squad for the tournament alongside the likes of Federico Valverde and Spurs' Rodrigo Bentancur.

The Verdict: A smart investment for Spurs?

Hailed as an "outstanding" player by journalist Juan Pablo Romero, Ugarte has played in all of Sporting's games this season across all competitions ahead of today's league outing against Famalicao.

Across his 12 league appearances, the midfielder has racked up more blocks (16) than any other player at the Portuguese club as well as having the highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (51).

This highlights the defensive talent he has and how much of a tough opponent he can be. With Conte's side having only managed to keep four clean sheets in the Premier League so far this season, adding a player like Ugarte could be just what they need to tighten things up and stop them from being so easy to score against.