Tottenham are reportedly growing increasingly anxious that Toby Alderweireld will likely leave north London on a free transfer next summer.
The Belgian defender has been a key figure for Spurs since he arrived in 2015, with the 30-year-old making 165 appearances for the club since.
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Given his experience and quality produced at the highest level, Mauricio Pochettino will surely be desperate to keep him at Tottenham moving forward as they continue to push for major trophies this season and beyond.
However, they have seemingly found themselves in a dangerous position as The Mirror report that Alderweireld is now expected to run down the final 12 months on his contract and leave on a free transfer next summer.
The sensible strategy from a Spurs perspective would be to try and offload him either this summer with the window still open around Europe, or in January, to at least bring in some funds rather than lose him for absolutely nothing.
Unfortunately for Tottenham, it’s added in the report that offers haven’t been forthcoming to date, and so perhaps with the assumption that Alderweireld isn’t going to sign a new contract, interested parties are willing to wait for him to become a free agent rather than spend the touted £25m needed to exercise his previous clause as per the Mirror.
It would be a blow in itself for Tottenham to lose Alderweireld in his peak years while still remaining so important to Pochettino. However, to see him leave on a free with no funds generated to go towards signing a replacement would make it a doubly difficult setback to face.
