Tottenham Transfer News: Latest on Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez Rumours

AS Monaco midfielder Joao Moutinho has revealed he was only "minutes" away from becoming a Tottenham Hotspur player in a deal to join the Premier League club from FC Porto in 2012.

Anthony Chapman of the Sun quoted the Portugal international speaking about the failed transfer ahead of his Monaco side's match against Spurs in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Moutinho said: 

"

It’s true, I was a few minutes from signing for Spurs.

[...]

Here I am at Monaco and the focus is on putting in a performance to help us through to the next stage of the Champions League.

Spurs might be slight favourites but this is a very equal group (with CSKA Moscow and Bayer Leverkusen).

"

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

According to Chapman, Moutinho was ready to become a Spurs player in a £24 million deal, but the transfer collapsed at the last moment because the paperwork was not submitted in time. Spurs attempted to revive the deal in 2013, but the player opted for a move to Ligue 1.

The 30-year-old played six times for his country at Euro 2016, according to WhoScored.com, as Portugal swept to a shock success in France.

In other news, Tottenham are reportedly in the race to capture Real Madrid superstar James Rodriguez should the Colombia international exit the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato (h/t TalkSport), Spurs will battle Manchester United and Arsenal for the services of James, who has fallen out of favour with Real manager Zinedine Zidane.

Here is the star in action for his club:

The 25-year-old scored eight goals and provided eight assists in the Primera Division and the UEFA Champions League last term, according to WhoScored, as the Galacticos collected their 11th European Cup.

Calciomercato reported the attacker could be available for a reduced price of £42 million as he searches for a new home in anticipation of departing the Bernabeu. 

WhoScored highlighted James' incredible accuracy from outside the box:

LUIS ACOSTA/Getty Images

James would be a sensational capture for the north Londoners, and his flair and precision make him the perfect candidate to play for Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The midfielder has failed to impress in recent times after Zidane took over at Real, but he has previously proved himself as a rare talent.

The Premier League would suit his game, and with Harry Kane advanced, James would provide the ammunition that the club needs to challenge for the Premier League title.