Joao Moutinho has revealed that he was "minutes" away from joining Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2012.

The 30-year-old was on the verge of joining the North London outfit on the final day of the transfer window once a £24m fee had been agreed with his club Porto, but the deal fell through when paperwork was not completed before the deadline.

Moutinho remained with Porto for the following season, but eventually signed for AS Monaco, where he has spent the last three years of his career.

Tonight, the midfielder will go head to head with Tottenham in their first Champions League group game.

"It's true I was a few minutes from signing for Spurs," Moutinho told reporters. "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."

Tonight's match will be played at Wembley.