Manchester United have made a £70million bid to Tottenham for the transfer of defender Toby Alderweireld, it has emerged.
The Red Devils have been strongly linked with the Belgium international for some time, and CaughtOffside understands an official bid has now been made in an attempt to speed things along.
United tried to sign Alderweireld for closer to £60m earlier in the summer, before talks broke down as the player jetted off for the World Cup.
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Now free to negotiate again, Alderweireld is almost certain to leave Spurs this summer as the club are keen to avoid losing him for just £25m next summer when a new clause kicks in in his contract.
The 29-year-old seems ideal for United’s needs at the back as they search for an upgrade on players like Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, and CaughtOffside understands the club are now confident of agreeing a deal.
Yahoo Sport recently claimed United were set to re-open talks over signing Alderweireld this week, with Tottenham supposedly holding out for as much as £75m – the amount Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in January.
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It seems unlikely United would pay quite that much, but believe they can get the former Atletico Madrid man for closer to £70m, which they’re now happy to pay after struggling to secure other options for that position.
Clement Lenglet had been linked before leaving Sevilla for Barcelona, while links with AC Milan’s Leonardo Bonucci are not as strong as many reports suggest.
Alderweireld wants the move to Old Trafford and it looks like things could start to happen in the coming days.