Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United will reportedly need to stump up £15 million to sign 30-year-old Stefan de Vrij from Serie A club Inter Milan.
According to Football Insider, Inter Milan have set an asking price of just £15 million for central defender Stefan De Vrij, a significant decrease from a valuation of approximately £40 million last year.
A Feyenoord academy product, de Vrij has been at the heart of the Nerazzurri’s defence ever since his arrival from Lazio on a free transfer back in 2018 and has made 161 competitive appearances for Inter Milan, chipping in with eight goals and six assists in the process.
The 30-year-old has established himself as one of the finest in Serie A during his four years at San Siro and was a key figure in the Nerazzurri’s title triumph last season, featuring in 32 of their 38 league games as they finally ended Juventus’s monopoly on the Scudetto.
The Dutchman will be hoping to add another piece of silverware this term, with the title chase with fierce city-rivals AC Milan going down to the wire and an intense Coppa Italia final against Juventus also awaiting them on May 12.
However, with the player ageing and experiencing a startling dip in form when compared to his usual standards in the big games, it appears increasingly likely that he will be sold during the summer transfer window, with Inter targeting Torino’s Gleison Bremer as his replacement.
As per the report, de Vrij’s Inter contract runs until 2023, and he could be made available for a cut-price fee of £15 million this summer. Inter are in financial disarray and cannot afford to let him depart for free next year. This revelation has sparked the interest of a number of English clubs interested in signing the Dutch defensive stalwart.
Tottenham Hotspur reportedly hold a very serious interest in the player, with de Vrij’s former boss, Antonio Conte, keen on reuniting with the 30-year-old Dutchman in North London.
After all, Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, and Ben Davies are the only reliable options at the Tottenham head coach’s disposal. As such, de Vrij could prove a useful backup to Dier in the central sweeper role next season, as he may take some time to adapt to the faster-paced Premier League.
The Netherlands international is an elite operator in his position, and at 30 years old, he has plenty of top-level experience. He will certainly provide much-needed depth should they are to compete both domestically and in Europe.
However, Tottenham will face stiff competition from Aston Villa and Newcastle United. Aston Villa have shown their ambition in the last couple of transfer windows, and de Vrij could well be the next high-profile capture, with Steven Gerrard looking for further evolution in his backline, given the inconsistencies of skipper Tyrone Mings this season.
Newcastle United, meanwhile, are looking to bolster their defensive unit despite signing Dan Burn in January. With no centre-half in their ranks aged 27 or under, Newcastle are likely to scour for a young centre-back to add athleticism at the back.
The Magpies will do well to steer clear from this one, having handed a new contract to experienced defender Fabian Schar, who boasts a similar skillset to de Vrij and is of the same age bracket. It will be interesting to see where the 30-year-old moves to amid interest from Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United.
