Tottenham almost completed a deal for Bruno Fernandes last summer.
And they could have the opportunity to reopen negotiations for the Portuguese at the end of this season.
It had looked like Spurs would miss out on the highly-rated midfielder, with Manchester United, who wanted him last summer too, locked in talks over a deal this January.
It appeared that a transfer would be completed this month, but according to reports the transfer has collapsed, with United unwilling to pay the £68million fee for his signature.
Jose Mourinho is a keen admirer of his countryman, although the Spurs head coach ruled out a move for the 25-year-old in this current transfer window.
Come the end of the season, however, Fernandes could be high on the list of potential incomings for a squad overhaul at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Here we take a look at why.
Firstly, the Portuguese international is 25 years old meaning that he'd fit with the club's policy of signing players that are capable of contributing medium-to-long term, rather than being a quick fix. His injury record is also virtually immaculate, having missed a total of just 12 days and one match throughout the course of his senior career.
On the pitch, Fernandes appears to possess valuable tools in areas Spurs have struggled, particularly in regard to finding goals and forging opportunities against stubborn defensive teams.
He's predominantly a central or offensive midfielder, but he's been deployed as a centre forward and a wide player on both flanks over the course of the past year.
Once delving into the statistical side of his game, he's a player that's difficult to ignore.
Last season, he made 53 appearances for his club and found the net 32 times as well as registering 18 assists. This year, he's made 27 appearances, scoring 15 times and assisting 14.
Those numbers are undeniably impressive. A goal or an assist has been contributed by the Portuguese every 88 minutes since the start of last season.
Fernandes is clearly an output player with definite end product to his game. His figures are influenced slightly by his tendency to take corners, free-kicks and penalties, but they are outstanding regardless.
The Sporting midfielder is able to provide such a threat basically because he's a very active shooter, averaging four per 90 for his club this season, after posting 3.04 per 90 last season.
For perspective, of the players who have amassed more than 1,000 minutes in the Premier League this season, Sergio Aguero averages the most on 4.02 per 90.
City team-mates Riyad Mahrez and Kevin de Bruyne and Chelsea's Mason Mount are the only midfielders in the top 20 in the Premier League for shots taken per 90 minutes, with Mahrez averaging 3.32, de Bruyne 2.99 and Mount 2.52.
Fernandes' shot map for his current campaign, prior to the weekend's game with Benfica, is pictured below, and there are essentially two ways of perceiving it.
Clearly, Fernandes shoots from virtually anywhere, which isn't commonly deemed as a positive because in most cases, there are likely better and more productive options to take.
Expected Goals (xG) offers an insight into the likelihood of a shot being scored by considering aspects such as difficulty and location, and Fernandes seems to post low xG per shot numbers simply because he shoots from unrealistic areas.
Overall, his shot map captures his essence perfectly. He's the ultimate high-risk versus high-reward player. Very lively, energetic and dangerous, who's often heavily involved both with and without the ball as a result.
He's aggressive and tends to pick up a fair amount of yellow cards, but he's also fouled a lot himself which stems from his dribbling tendencies.
There's a question as to whether his output would translate accurately into the Premier League, given the quality is substantial higher than in the Portuguese top-flight, but it's very likely that Fernandes' all-action, chaotic approach to the game would remain.
Tottenham were keen to bring in both Giovani Lo Celso and Fernandes last summer, having agreed terms with Fernandes only to fail to agree a deal with Sporting.
The duo were seen as replacements for everything that Christian Eriksen brought to the side, but the Dane did not, and still has not left north London.
Once Eriksen does move on, be that this month or in the summer, the midfield area is a position that Mourinho is sure to strengthen in the summer and Fernandes could be the missing piece of the puzzle.
