Sporting Lisbon are currently looking into the possibility of signing Eric Dier on a free transfer at the end of the season after the Spurs man hinted he would be open to a return to the club.
Eric Dier joined Tottenham from Sporting back in 2014, and has been a regular starter under every manager who has been and gone during his time at the club.
However, as the 29-year-old now approaches his tenth year with Spurs, he has seen his opportunities limited by new manager, Ange Postecoglou.
Dier was absent from the first five matchday squads in the Postecoglou era. He only made his first appearance of the season during the defeat to Chelsea when Micky van de Ven picked up an injury and Cristian Romero was sent off.
It has long been suggested Dier will move on, given the fact his current contract expires next summer.
Sporting Lisbon want an Eric Dier reunion
Dier himself has spoken of a potential return to Sporting one day (SAPO). Now, the Portuguese side are hoping to take steps towards making that happen.
That’s according to a report from O Jogo (via Sport Witness), who claim that Sporting are currently “studying” the possibility of snapping up Dier on a free transfer at the end of the current campaign.
While Dier’s comments have been “taken into account” by Sporting, the stumbling block lies with his salary. Apparently, Sporting can only push ahead with an approach if Dier agrees to decrease his wages below €2m (£1.75m) a year.
Spurs Web Opinion
That wage drop would be pretty significant for Dier, taking him to roughly £33k a week. I would imagine he can get more than that from an English club, or possibly in Italy. However, the nostalgic appeal of returning to Sporting might be enough to seal the deal.