Gedson Fernandes: Tottenham close to 18-month loan deal for Benfica midfielder

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enfica midfielder Gedson Fernandes is close to joining Tottenham on an 18-month loan deal, after choosing the club over London rivals West Ham. The 21-year-old, who has two senior caps for Portugal, is expected to fly into the UK next week to finalise the deal.Benfica agreed deals with both Tottenham and West Ham but Fernandes is believed to have opted to sign for Spurs, who are managed by fellow Portuguese Jose Mourinho.Tottenham want to sign a midfielder following the injury to Moussa Sissoko, who has been sidelined for three months after undergoing surgery to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee last week.Chelsea have also been interested in signing Fernandes and offered an 18-month loan deal with an obligation to buy for £55m, provided the player features in at least half of the games during the loan spell. West Ham also offered a one-and-a-half-year loan deal, but their obligation to buy amounted up to £33m and the percentage of games to trigger the clause would be less than Chelsea's. Fernandes' release clause is £102m but Benfica have conceded they will not get close to that figure for a player who is out of favour and is reported to have fallen out with head coach Bruno Lage. How to follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows. Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day's news with The Transfer Show.