Manchester United are among a few clubs reportedly taking a keen interest in defender Toby Alderweireld and his contract situation at Tottenham.
According to a report from Manchester Evening News, Manchester United could perhaps be interested in the prospect of bringing Toby Alderweireld to Old Trafford. The Tottenham defender has been in the midst of a contract standoff with the club, which has alerted United and several other Premier League clubs as to the potential availability of the Belgian in the upcoming transfer window(s).
Toby Alderweireld has less than 18 months remaining on his Spurs contract and while there is an option to trigger a one-year extension at the behest at the club, it is the presence of the £25 million release clause in the contract that seems to be irking Tottenham.
The contract standoff has seen Chelsea, Manchester United and others show interest in the Belgian. For Manchester United, the pursuit is a bit complex. The Red Devils already have Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo apart from Axel Tuanzebe, who has gone out on loan but will return to stake a claim in the first-team setup in the summer.
Manchester United’s interest in Toby Alderweireld isn’t a huge surprise. Though 29 in March, the Belgian doesn’t have a bad injury history & could be the perfect mentor for Victor Lindelof.
His contract stand off with Spurs could be a huge opportunity to steal a rival’s key man. pic.twitter.com/R1gJ8ShNf7
— Adam Joseph ?? (@AdamJosephSport) February 13, 2018
Jose Mourinho will surely be asked to clear a few of the aforementioned names off the United books before signing a player in the same position, something the Portuguese is ready to work towards, with the manager reportedly prepared to offload Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in the summer transfer window.
Jose Mourinho did sign Lindelof last summer in hopes of pairing him up with Eric Bailly to become the long-term partnership for United at the back. But, it looks like the Swede will take a while to settle in and there are signs that United are not stable at the back.
In such a scenario, Mourinho would like to get in an experienced campaigner, one who has plied his trade in the Premier League for a few years. Alderweireld fulfils the criteria and more as he has experience of playing for a top side, both in domestic competitions and in Europe.
Questions have been raised over his future after the defender was not included in the trip to Juventus for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, despite Alderweireld declaring himself fit and raring to feature.
Pochettino though, poured cold water over the rumours stating that the exclusion was more to protect the player, who has just returned from a gruesome hamstring issue, rather than it being due to the contract standoff.
Tottenham would ideally like to get him tied down to a new deal without the release clause or an increased buyout before summer. If all else fails, Spurs could decide to cash in on Alderweireld, considering the interest from Manchester United and others, lest risk losing him for free when his contract expires.
