Tottenham and Chelsea target Maxi Araújo

Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will have another close look at transfer target Maxi Araújo tonight, with the Sporting CP player stepping onto a major European stage at just the right time.

Sporting host Arsenal on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. The return leg will take place in London on April 15th, giving Premier League clubs two high-level opportunities to assess the Uruguay international.

That matters even more given what we exclusively revealed recently. Both Tottenham and Chelsea have already made contact with Araújo’s representatives as they explore a potential summer transfer.

Tottenham and Chelsea scouts tracking

Maxi Araújo is no stranger to Premier League attention. Portuguese newspaper Record reported that as many as 12 English clubs sent scouts to Wembley to watch him in action for Uruguay against England in the last international break. Tottenham and Chelsea certainly were among the clubs present.

That follows earlier sightings at Sporting matches. Scouts from both clubs were also in attendance when Araújo impressed against Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, scoring in a comeback win that further raised his profile.

Those repeated checks suggest this is no casual interest. Instead, it...