Gedson Fernandes closing in on move to England

Benfica midfielder Gedson Fernandes will be moving to England this transfer window with his future set to be confirmed.

Several English clubs have reportedly been interested in his services, including Manchester United, Chelsea, West Ham, Everton and Nuno Espirito Santo's Wolves.

However, despite West Ham coming particularly close, none of the aforementioned clubs have actually managed to get their hands on one of Portugal's most promising young talents.

That's because it is Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur who are in pole position to win the race to bring in the 21-year old Portugal international, both player and club close to full agreement over the transfer, with Gedson preferring Spurs over London rivals West Ham United.

Fernandes is set to join compatriot Mourinho at the club on what is initially an 18-month loan, with an option to buy the player at the end of the deal for what is believed to be approximately €40million.

The deal could be confirmed over the coming week, with Gedson expected to undergo a medical with the London club in the coming days.

The deal makes sense from a Spurs standpoint; Mourinho has been quick to emphasise that Spurs will not be spending large sums of money, particularly this month, so bringing in a player he knows well for an 18 month period presents risk-free, shrewd business.

Gedson has struggled for game time for Benfica this season, with manager Bruno Lage unable to accommodate him in his commonly used 4-4-2 formation.

Typically a box-to-box midfielder, the two-time Portugal international generally prefers to play in a midfield three, which was possible under previous manager Rui Vitoria, who frequently utilised a 4-3-3 formation.

Gedson impressed during his time under the guidance of Vitoria, but since the arrival of Lage, who prefers to play with two more physical central midfielders in his 4-4-2 system, Gedson has been pushed out, not for a lack of ability, but simply due to an inability to fit into Lage's highly successful formation.