Tottenham Hotspur were facing quite the rebuild this summer as it is, with a new manager and Harry Kane wishing to leave, but the Athletic now report that Toby Alderweireld would also like to exit.
The Athletic have found that the 32-year-old is ‘hopeful’ of leaving the North London outfit before next season starts, with Alderweireld ‘confident’ that a move can be sealed after the Euros.
Alderweireld has been a key starter for Spurs since he arrived in the summer of 2015, going on to establish himself as one of the Premier League’s best defenders for quite some time in a solid partnership with Jan Vertonghen, who he also played with as a youngster at Ajax.
It’s stated that Spurs will not stand in the way of the man whose been a solid servant to the club, with new director of football Fabio Paratici already on the hunt for two centre-backs this summer.
The Athletic note that Italian and Spanish clubs are keen on the ace, whilst reiterating the links of a return to Ajax as well as Alderweireld’s dream of moving back to Royal Antwerp.
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Daniel Levy could find it hard to appeal to interested suitors, depending on the kind of fee that Spurs would like to receive for Alderweireld, who is contracted until the summer of 2023.
The Belgium international’s £100,000-a-week wages will already be a potential stumbling block, but perhaps Alderweireld will make some concessions considering that he does want to leave.
Whilst it’s stressed that Jose Mourinho was key to renewing Alderweireld to a new contract at Spurs, the Portuguese gaffer snubbed the Belgian in a couple of runs before he was sacked by the club in April.
Alderweireld won back his starting spot when Ryan Mason took caretaker charge of the side but it seems that the club are willing for the 6ft2 ace to be one of the major outgoing as they eye a rebuild.
The centre-back has made 236 appearances for Spurs across all competitions, he’ll be a massive miss to the side both on and off the pitch.
A side who have constantly faced criticism over their mentality and leadership are now expected to lose one of their most experienced and vocal members of the dressing room.