Spurs transfer spotlight: Tottenham back in for the next Neymar?

Reports in Brazil claim that Tottenham have rejoined the race for Neilton - the Santos youngster dubbed the next Neymar - with the attacker’s contract due to expire next season. Spanish side Sevilla are also keen on him however, having started negotiations with his agent last month, so Spurs have competition. talkSPORT’s Transfer Spotlight has more on the talent…

Name: Neilton Meira Mestzk
Date of birth: 17 February, 1994
Birthplace: Nanuque, Brazil
Position: Forward
Club: Santos
Honours: 2013 Sao Paulo Junior Cup

What's the latest?
Neilton rose to prominence earlier this year when he seized an opportunity with the Santos first team and scored four goals in the Brasileiro. The youngster hasn’t received the steady run in the senior side that he had hoped for however, and has recently been demoted to the U20s. As a result, his agent has begun talking to other clubs, including Sevilla and Spurs, in the knowledge that his current deal runs out next year.

Did you know?

1) Born in the small Brazilian mining town of Nanuque, Neilton started playing junior football with Club Atletico Diadema as a four-year-old, and later moved on to Sao Bernardo. His father once joked that the youngster "used a football as a pacifier", due to his habit of taking a ball to bed at night.

2) The Brazilian played futsal between the age of six and 13 for ADC Basf Suvinil, before joining Santos as a 14-year-old. He then progressed from their U15 team to the U19s in four years with the club.

3) Neilton’s current deal with Santos earns him around 10 times the Brazilian monthly minimum wage according to sources in the country. Rumours claim his buyout clause is still only set at £5m.

4) The youngster made a string of impressive appearances for the Santos U20 side in late 2012, starring against Palmeires, Internacional and Vitoria, leading to training with the first team before the end of the year.

5) In March 2012 Neilton was finally promoted to the Santos first team. In the following summer, he went on to score four goals in the Brazilian league in the space of only one month, but has recently struggled to replicate that form, and has been asked to drop down and help out the U20s. It is suspected that his demotion could be a punishment for openly flirting with other clubs, however.

He says
“Neymar was a big idol for me, he won everything here and now I'm looking for my own place at the club. I want to be Neilton, not the second Neymar.”

Video evidence

Spurs fans, do you like the look of Neilton? Let us know below...