Spurs Continue to Chase Portuguese Midfield Target - Report

Tottenham Hotspur have re-kindled their interest in FC Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho. Goal.com reports Spurs' coach Andre Villas-Boas has now made landing the Portuguese international this month a priority.

The 26 year old midfielder has shown himself capable of playing either as a defensive midfielder or in the hole behind the strikers and his strong performances this year, starting from the summer's European Championships, have attracted the attention of a number of Europe's top clubs.

The White Hart Lane club were strongly linked with a move for the player all through the summer and a deadline day deal was believed to have been almost completed but for financial details to derail the transfer at the last minute. AVB has clearly retained an interest in the midfielder though and was reported to be monitoring his progress during the Champions League.

Tottenham are presently third in the Premier League and have finished the first half of the season in excellent form. However, Spurs were equally well-placed after the first half of last season, only to struggle to maintain that level of performance after January. And AVB will not want a repeat of those poor displays. The addition of Moutinho to the north London club's starting line-up will likely add a welcome layer of steel, experience and creativity to the club's attack.

Moutinho was also linked with a move to Manchester United by ESPN and an earlier Goal.com report suggested Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain (PSG) were interested in the midfielder.

Spurs Midfielder Vows to Fight for Place

Meanwhile, England international Scott Parker is hoping to be a regular starter under AVB. The 32-year-old missed the early parts of the Portuguese coach's reign at the Lane with an Achilles injury and has only now returned to the starting line-up. However, with the younger Sandro, Tom Huddlestone and Moussa Dembele in the team, Parker is finding game time hard to come by.

"When you're out injured, it's the worst time you can have as a footballer. I didn't expect to be out for as long as I was. But I always thought I'd get back to where I need to be and it's about hard work now. It's obviously been a while since I have been involved, so the last few weeks have been pleasing, getting back amongst it. It was a bad injury but I never thought I wouldn't come back from it. My Achilles is fine now. I just need to get match fit," Parker explained.