Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race to sign Dario Osorio...

What's the word?

That's according to reports in Italy (via Sport Witness), who claim that Spurs have made the 'most important' and 'best' offer to sign the Universidad de Chile sensation before tonight's 11pm deadline.

It's thought that there is at least three deals on the table, including one from Serie A champions AC Milan and it's thought that the next few hours are 'decisive' to his immediate future.

With Spurs on the verge of signing Pedro Porro ahead of the deadline, Osorio could be another interesting acquisition this late in the window.

Shades of Raphinha?

The 19-year-old, capped at senior level for Chile, is a hugely promising talent and one that could see sporting director Fabio Paratici follow his past dealings, having brought in exciting prospects like Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie - the former featuring in and around Antonio Conte's first team.

Standing at 6-foot, the versatile midfielder is primarily a dangerous winger, one that has earned eye-catching comparisons to that of FC Barcelona star Raphinha. He was once mooted with a switch to N17 before that move, according to The Athletic.

"I find him very similar to Raphinha; Barcelona’s Brazilian," former Universidad de Chile ace Raul Toro claimed. "He is the jewel of Chilean soccer. At any moment, he can score a goal or provide an assist. In Chilean football, there is no one like him."

The Hijuelas-born gem has already notched seven goals across 27 matches in the Chilean top-flight and has done so by playing anywhere across the frontline. He has also managed 1.1 key passes per outing and created a total of four big chances despite an average of 58 minutes per game, via Sofascore.

"Osorio shoots spectacularly and plays as if he were at home," Universidad’s sporting director Manuel Mayo once suggested. 

Elsewhere, talent scout Jacek Kulig has compared the "flamboyant winger" to Angel Di Maria and revealed that his strongest attributes are his "pace, dribbling" and "creativity," not to ignore his obvious "versatility" too.

All in all, it's clear to see that Spurs would be getting one hell of a talent with a last-ditch deadline-day move for Osorio. In the 19-year-old prodigy, the north Londoners could well have their own Raphinha or Di Maria.

Given the evidence above, he surely has every chance of following in Sarr's footsteps in making the big step up into the first team.

AND in other news, Spurs win race for "top goalscorer", it's a "fantastic" coup for Paratici...